Amber in Hatter Mansion
by carrotcakeprincess
Summary: A girl lost in Wonderland ends up living with Hatter Mansion...and finds out just how much Elliot March is easily swayed by the promise of carrot foods. Is there something more sinister lying under her nightmares that even a demon of dreams can't sort out? (Elliot March x OC) UPDATED: CHAPTER 6! Amusement Park Adventures!
1. Chapter 1

Living in the Hatter Mansion, I've been told, is not an easy thing to get used to. Much in the same way, I've been told that living in Wonderland isn't easy for a "normal" person- once, a girl told me all of this in a dream, a black bow on her head and a crisp white apron over her dress. I still don't know who she was, and I definitely did not know about anything she was talking about then.

I woke up after that dream, and at that point, I knew I wasn't in my bed, my soft and warm and comfy bed- and not only that, I knew that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

Day did not turn to night so quickly before my eyes there- this had to be nothing more than a dream- a simple dream.

I woke up, on the floor of a forest, and I did what all lost things do- I wandered. It was a dream, I told myself, as I wandered through the forest.

I stumbled upon a dead body. Impulse told me to loot it. I quelled the impulse- noting to that weird part of my brain that it would be equal parts impractical and rude, as I watched shadowlike figures surround the body- something in my mind told me that I might want to walk a little wider.

My mind wanders as much as my body, thinking back to the girl with the black bow. Did she send me here? As I think, I trip and fall onto some brambles on the way, and begrudgingly accept that this may not be a dream at all, hissing through my teeth as I pull them out. They bleed down my leg momentarily, leaving ugly red marks- but the bleeding stopped quickly.

Only moments later, I stumbled upon gates. And I stumbled upon the guards, who all threatened to kill me with equal amounts amusement and malice in their eyes.

A man in a ridiculous hat stopped them from killing me. A similar impulse to the one that told me to loot the body told me to steal the hat. I have no idea what's up with that part of my brain and stealing, but I kept from acting on it, regardless of it all.

I was invited for tea by Blood Dupre, the man who saved my life.

* * *

I sat uncomfortably as the three people who had threatened to kill me earlier sat, staring at me like I was amusing, yet suspicious. I sipped the tea in front of me daintily- their eyes did not move away, they merely watched me. I turned my attention to the only person who didn't seem to regard me much at all- the same man who saved me earlier, in his ridiculous and oh-so-steal-worthy top hat.

"So, you are an Outsider, correct?" Blood asks.

I hesitate- the way he says it makes me think that he means something that might be outside of my definition of outsider. I take a breath and give my best response, regardless. "I'm certainly not from around here, if that's what you mean- I don't even know how I got here, to tell you the truth- I just woke up in the forest, and I honestly don't remember anything before that, other than a dream I had."

The man with the rabbit ears next to me chuckles a little. I shift in my seat, still a little wary of sitting next to the men who pulled a gun on me with the intention of shooting it to "test it out."

I don't know how to open my mouth without saying something stupid, so I sit awkwardly and sip my tea a little more.

"So, what is your name, young lady?" Blood asks, obviously aware of my discomfort. I'm wearing it like a neon sign.

"Amber. I-I don't like my last name, so I'm not going to say it, if that's okay." I say, taking another nervous sip of my tea. "So, what exactly do you mean by 'outsider'? The way you said it makes me a little confused."

Blood smiles. "It means that you don't come from Wonderland, which is where we are now. It also means several other things, but you'll find those out in time."

The initial sense that the statement makes comforts, and the second only serves to make me feel even more alienated. I take another sip of my teacup, only to find it's empty- a maid comes forward and refills it for me.

"The unfortunate thing is that I really don't have a place to stay." I say, taking perhaps the twenty-fifth sip of tea in the mere minutes I have been sitting here. This time I let it linger. It is, in fact, really good tea. I notice that all eyes are on me- including the servants', which only serves to make me more uncomfortable. "I only just got here, and other than the forest, this is the only place I know about."

"You may stay here in the mansion with us, if you'd like." Blood says with a smile. "It's dangerous here in Wonderland, after all; it's only courteous of us to offer shelter."

"Thank you very much- I would like that, if only for just the night," I say, with a little nod,. "I will try not to be a burden."

"You may stay as long as you like. This could potentially be very interesting, judging from your current reactions." Blood says. Everyone else around the table nods in unison.

"I'm sorry that I'm so nervous, I just wasn't exactly planning on sitting next to the person who tried to kill me." I say, with a weak little gesture of notation towards the man with the rabbit ears next to me.

"Don't worry about you- I've got the Boss's orders not to kill you, anyways. I'm Elliot March." The rabbit-eared man says, reaching his hand out for me to shake it. Hesitantly, I take it, and shake it. The rabbit-eared man smiles at me, and his ears move- confirming that no, they are not fake. I can't help but wonder if he has a tail.

"And I'm Dee," One of the twins says.

"And I'm Dum." The other says, directly after the first.

"And we won't kill you either." They both say in unison.

I smile at the twins- they're almost cute when they're not trying to kill me. I put down my teacup and relax a little. "So, what do you do here at Hatter Mansion?"

"Various things- we take care of pests, issues, and some other things around Wonderland." Blood says calmly. "I'm the head of the household."

"What he's saying is that we're the mafia, to put it bluntly." Elliot says.

I tense up again, putting on my best "I-have-made-a-huge-mistake-and-am-currently-trying-not-to-panic" smile.

Perhaps it wasn't my best decision.

* * *

Living in the mansion with a mafia is an interesting experience from the beginning.

The servants always come in pairs. Always. And they almost always tote a gun in some pocket of their outfit- sometimes visible, sometimes not, but they always do.

I manage to avoid talking to any of the other tenants for a bit- I just decide to explore whatever areas I can. If there is an open door, I'm always tempted to walk through it.

Two of the maids lead me to the guest room- it's spacious, with a table in the middle of the room, a bed off to the side, and a very nice window with a spacious windowsill to look out onto. There's a dresser near the table and plenty of coatracks, and the entire toom is in shades of ged, green, pink, gold and brown. An empty teapot lays on the area near the doorway, various teacups scattered around it.

I thank the maids and they take their leave.

I decide to take this time to poke around every possible thing in the room.

The drawers are empty- on top of the drawers, the various vases and bottles are similarly empty. The tea set is sparkling clean and completely empty as well. There isn't anything underneath the bed, but the bed does have a nice, springy, fluffiness to it. The sheets are warm and slightly fuzzy.

I look up at the various top hats around me.

This Blood guy really likes his hats. I'm surprised a mafia boss takes so much pride in themed decor. Maybe he has a secret enjoyment of aesthetics? Maybe not, with that outfit of his...

I chuckle to myself for a moment, and then I decide to look out the window and bird-watch. My room has a nice view of some gardens.

It gets boring quickly, and I find myself laying on the bed again, staring up at the cieling and kicking my legs.

That also gets boring quickly.

I leave my boring room, take a note of what the door looks like, and set off to explore. The room gets darker around me- and I realise that it's probably nighttime.

I do feel a little tired.

I turn on my heel and head back to my room, utterly dumbfounded by the amount of stupidity that just occured.

My head hits the pillow and I drift off into a nice, dreamless sleep.

I am almost disappointed when I wake up in the same place- though, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though.

I stretch, get up out of the very comfy bed, and look out the window only to find that it's the middle of the day. Momentarily, I panic- how could I have slept in for so long?!

I look down, realise that I am still in my regular clothes, and decide to march out of the door regardless. I pass by a couple of maids just by the door.

"Can you tell me where the food is?"

"Of course- breakfast, correct?" One of the maids asks. I nod. "You will be dining alone- the Hatter family is out on business early today- but we will have something for you right away, miss- down the hall and to your right, and you'll find it from there."

"Thank you very much." I say, with a little bow- I take off towards my destination.

I make it to the kitchen in no time flat, and the servants surrounding the very empty table as I eat make me feel very uncomfortable. It's a nice breakfast, but I can't help but feel a little odd eating alone in a big, empty room.

When I'm done, I decide to wander into the kitchen. They seem to be storing what bit of breakfast wasn't eaten- it's a lot of it. The cooking areas are relatively clear, though.

"Um, excuse me?" I ask a servant.

"Yes?" One in a chef's hat replies.

"May I bake some things? I would like to give thanks to the Hatter family for letting me stay here, and it sounds appropriate." I say. The chef smiles at me and nods.

I realise that the chef doesn't have any eyes. Neither did any of the maids. This all hits me like a freight trein as I look through cabinets- I pull out a baking cookbook.

There are three bookmarked pages- carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, and vanilla cupcakes. I look for all the ingredients, and find them pretty easily in the well-stocked and organized kitchen.

I get out several big mixing bowls and start making everything. The mix doesn't take too long to make- and, of course, I make a few small adjustments to the recipe for more flavor- and at that point it's just baking it. Once they're in the oven, I wash up and then use the clean bowls to make the frosting.

I check on the cupcakes pretty often- they're ready after I finish making all the frosting. Luckily, I didn't forget about or burn them- they look pretty good.

I manage to find frosting bags in this very well-organized kitchens- I use the cheap plastic ones, so I don't dirty another dish. I make sure the cupcakes are cooled, and then I take them out of the tin, put them on plates, and frost them.

I admire my handiwork, looking down to see that I've become a flour-covered mess. Everything but my outfit went through it unscathed, and that's probably only because I cleaned. Maybe I should have asked for an apron?

I take the cupcake plates one at a time out to the dining room table, and- as if by some weird coincidence- all four of them walk into the dining room, Elliot and Blood at the front and the Twins at the back.

My beaming, "look-at-what-I-did-aren't-I-nice?" smile turns into a frown as I realise that, oh my _stars_ , they are _covered_ in blood- every one of them. Elliot is the worst out of all of them, and he seems to be walking with a slight limp.

"What happened to you guys?" I ask, utterly shocked by the amount of blood. "No, wait- mafia crap, nevermind, whatever, that's not important. More importantly- are any of you hurt?"

They all shake their heads, and Elliot gives a little shrug, pointing to his shoulder, which is wrapped with his scarf. I run over to him and unwrap the scarf, looking at the wound. He smirks. "It's not that bad, really."

I shake my head. "Are you kidding me? Those are pretty deep, and they're still bleeding- come with me, I'll get you cleaned up- where are the medical supplies?"

"Don't let him bleed on my wood floor." Blood requests. My eyes dart to him and I resist the urge to give him a slightly puzzled and slightly disgusted look, instead focusing on the man who is heavily bleeding in front of me.

"Um, excuse me!" I shouting to some maids- it manages to get their attention. "Could you get me some medical supplies? He's hurt!"

The maids hesitate for a second, shrug, and then run off.

"...Are those carrot cake cupcakes?" Elliot asks, turning his attention to the cupcakes.

"Yes, I baked them, but that's not important- we have to clean that so it doesn't get infected, Elliot-"

"You baked them?" Elliot asks. I nod, opening my mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by being pulled into a bloody hug. "That's so sweet of you!"

Blood looks as if he's amused by this. The twins just look angry. I don't know how to feel about this, especially when I'm distracted by the feeling of something wet seeping through my clothes.

"I'm so sorry, but please move back, you're getting blood on my clothes and that's very hard to get out..."

"Oh, sorry." Elliot says, backing away. He takes a bite of the cupcake. I look down on my clothes to see how bad the bloodstain is.

The maids return with the medical supplies, and I take them quickly. They point me towards a room where I can do my cleaning, and as I look, I see Blood shaking slightly and covering his mouth and the Twins staring angrily- not at me, but at Elliot. What kind of weird family unit is this?

"Maids! Bring the carrot cupcakes to my room!" Elliot requests. The maids look as if they're about to bust a gut.

"W-why do we have to go to your room?!" I shriek, trying desprately to make myself not look like a ripened tomato.

Elliot takes a bite of his carrot cupcake, walking unusually casually next to me despite his shoulder being pretty badly injured. "You want to clean me up, right? My room's the closest. Unless you want to go to the bathhouse-"

"No thanks, I'm fine with cleaning you in your room." I say- so quickly, in fact, that it creates an awkward silence as we approach his room.

Elliot pushes open his door and I walk- more stubmle- him over to his couch. I fumble with the medical supplies- they're unbelievably skimpy supplies for people from the mafia. You'd think they'd take care of their members better!

The maids follow behind us, coming in, setting the cupcakes on a red cherry wood table near some windows, and waving to me with mischevious smiles as they leave the room.

I have never felt so weirded out by a pair of maids in my life.

I take off the bloodied scarf and set it aside, on top of a rag so the blood doesn't soak into the floor. I examine the wounds a little closer- they don't look too deep, but they are still bleeding.

"Um- I'm going to need you to take off your shirt to clean the wound." I say.

Elliot smiles a little and chuckles softly. I turn my head to gather some of the medical supplies, setting up as decent a selection of supplies as I can. It should, at least, stop the bleeding. I can tell he's watching me- silently, intently. It's a little creepy, to be honest.

I turn around, trying to avoid staring too much at his chest, focusing my intention instead on the wounded area. I take a wet rag and I start to clean off some of the blood and any debris in the wound, trying to avoid his gaze.

"This will probably hurt," I say, picking up antibacterial cream and bringing it up to the wound- he hisses a little through his teeth. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine." He says with a smile.

I put a bit of cotton over the wound and then bandage his shoulder up as well as I can, considering the circumstances.

I sigh and put the rest of the supplies back in the container before checking my handiwork for any gaps where blood might seep out. I'm not too satisfied with it, but it'll do the job.

"Thank you." Elliot says warmly, smiling for the nth time- he walks over to the plate of carrot cupcakes and picks another up, taking a bite of one. "These are the best carrot cupcakes I've ever tasted!"

He runs over and gives me another hug. I am face deep in bandaged shoulder as I curse my unbelievable shortness and he flinches a little. I squirm a little in his grasp- he breaks apart, holding me by the shoulders.

He steps back a little on his bad leg and stumbles backwards, but I make a feeble attempt to catch him first- this results in me hovering over him, holding myself up by my arms so I don't fall down. As soon as I realise the position that I'm in I try to get off as soon as possible. The attempt to make myself look anything less than flustered and scarlet likely works about as well as the rest of my glorious plans.

"Sorry- I meant to actually catch you." I say, taking a seat down on the couch.

"You're absolutely adorable." He says.

"Did you hit your head too hard?" This is part sencerity and part sarcasm.

He laughs a little. "No, you're just really cute."

"Okay, you _definitely_ hit your head too hard." I say, giggling a little bit.

Elliot sits on the floor for a solid minute before he opens his mouth again. He cartoonishly reaches his arms up, waving them a little."Can you help me up?"

I have to resist the urge to burst into laughter. "I can't believe you're second-in-command of a mafia. You don't act like it."

"C'mooon," He says, waving them more. "Help me."

I roll my eyes and take one of his arms- he shudders a little when I grab his bad arm, and I let go immediately by impulse- before he can hit the floor, I lean over and put a hand on his back- his other arm supports the rest of him, so with these efforts combined we manage to sit him up, at least.

"How are we going to get you up now, though?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I don't know. Can you go grab a cupcake for me?"

"Not until I've figured out how to get you up; I'm determined now." I say, resting my hand against my chin and looking at this.

I'm probably doomed- this guy is six foot five and buff- like, _ridiculously_ buff- and I'm barely over five feet tall and of relatively average strength.

I sigh and relinquish myself to my fate. I walk behind him, crouch down, and put an arm around his back- he slings his good arm over my shoulder and uses the other one for support. With quite a bit of effort from the both of us, we get him up. The first thing he does is limp over to the bed and fall back on it, with a soft _poof_ noise, throwing his good arm up and the palm of his hand over her face in an incredible feat of theatrics.

"Go get me a cupcake." He says with a devious smile, peeking through his fingertips.

"Not after you just ruined all my hard work!" I giggle, looking down to the upper corner of my blouse. "And my blouse...the only one I have."

"Oh- right." Elliot slowly sits up, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, looking pensive. His ears droop over his face, further exaggerating the emotion.

I look down at my flour, chocolate, and orange-spattered blouse again. "I guess I did already ruin it with all the baking, though, so you're not the only one to blame."

I walk over, grab a couple of cupcakes, and hand one to Elliot. He pats the space next to him and I take a seat, munching on my handiwork.

It finally hits me that he's been shirtless the whole time, mid-bite, as I eat my cupcake. I bite down a little slower and try to avert my gaze. Note the "try"- it's very difficult when the shirtless person in particular has very, very nice abs.

I resist the urge to slap myself in the face, instead focusing in on my cupcake.

Yep, I did good. The frosting is nice and sweet, the spices in the cupcake perfectly compliment the rest of the dish, and I don't really have anything to complain about with these. Mmm-hmm. Delicious.

I glance over quickly, but catch myself. Instead of slapping myself, I settle for biting down on my own tongue hard.

"You all right over there?" Elliot asks, one ear propped up.

I nod and smile, trying to ignore the fact that I am literally sitting and eating cupcakes with a shirtless member of the mafia _on his bed._ What has my life become?

"I should probably get some new clothes, though. I'm not sure how long I want to sit in clothes that are covered in blood, chocolate, and flour." I say, noting the stains.

Elliot pauses for a moment, before perking up. "Maybe we should go out into town tomorrow! We can go out and eat, and you can get some new clothes!"

"That sounds fun. Sure!" I say. Elliot reaches over and hugs me a bit with one arm. Wow, this guy has nice muscles...wait, what?

"I should probably get back to work for now, though...I've got loads of paperwork to do." Elliot says, almost...deflating, to put it bluntly. His posture slumps- as do his ears- and his face falls.

Members of the mafia do _paperwork_? "I'm sorry- I didn't mean to keep you from that."

"No, no, it's fine! It was fun." He says, patting me on the shoulder. "Why don't you go take a bath and I'll have some maids send over a change of clothes for you."

"Thank you- see you later!" I say, getting up, and leaving the room, giving Elliot a little wave as I go.

I can't believe that the person who tried to kill me earlier is such a useless dork.

The room gets darker around me. I look around, puzzled- I can hear footsteps coming from the door behind me. Elliot swings open the door.

"Thank you again." He says, wrapping me up in a hug. "But, for future reference, they always heal once the time changes."

"Of course they do." I say, almost pouting- all my hard work, ruined by whatever just happened to make the time change. Elliot waves to me again before returning to his room, and I wave back.

I turn around to see two maids staring me in the face, smiling wickedly.

I try not to be embarrased, but with the way they're whispering behind me about my relationship with Elliot, it's pretty difficult...

* * *

The bath water is nice and warm, but the tub is like, ten sizes bigger than it needs to be.

I guess I'm just not used to the whole idea of a communal bath. It's a little weird, but at the very least, I'll get over it, because I'm alone, at least.

I think about a few things, but none of them are particularly focused on any current events. I note how nice the color in the bathroom is- a nice color, almost like pink salt. The designs are swirly, and they don't have hats on them anywhere, which is honestly kind of nice, considering that the guest room has top hats on every concievable surface.

I guess I shouldn't complain, though, because I _am_ basically being given food and board for no reason whatsoever.

I am being housed and sheltered by members of the mafia. Perhaps not my brightest idea, but...they were available. Nothing else was, really. I'll have to ask Elliot what the rest of this Wonderland place is like- I don't really know a lot about it.

It's kind of nice, sitting here, in a warm bath, completely alone. I feel like some kind of rich person.

Until I recall that I am, still, mooching room and board from members of the mafia, and the only pair of clothes in my posession that are truly my own have been bloodstained and covered in chocolate and flour and carrot and whatever else I used to bake the cupcakes. Probably the only reason I'm still here is because that Blood guy is amused by my reactions to- well, everything.

I sink below the warm water a little further, huffing a little.

My hands are pruny by the time I get out to dry off, and the maids direct me to a changing area where my clothes are.

I find a pair of normal and...a dress.

An orange- kind of a spicy orange, almost like the color of hot sauce- dress, ruffly and made of silky fabric.

It looks vaguely nightgown-ish, but not quite.

I momentarily wonder why this all-male mafia family has a dress like this among their collection, but it's a house full of men and I'm not entirely keen on trying to figure that out. Who knows what these people do.

I put on the frilly garment- which comes down to about my knees in a poofy sort of manner, the sleeves coming down to my elbows- I slip on my shoes and I walk out the door, hair still slightly damp put pulled back in a loose ponytail to keep the short, fluffy beast contained, my headband holding back my bangs.

"Miss Amber," One of the maids says. "dinner is ready, if you'll come this way."

* * *

Blood looks amused from the second I walk through the door into the dining room wearing the orange dress, like a giant neon sign saying, "Yes, hello! Guess who picked out my clothes this evening? I bet you can't guess. Here's a tiny hint: IT WAS ELLIOT."

Elliot is just sitting, with a vacant seat next to him presumably saved for me, smiling innocently at me. I don't even want to know what the Twins' faces look like, so my eyes just kind of travel to the food on the table.

There is so much of food. I didn't even realise how hungry I was until I saw the sheer amount of food. All manner of food- including a load of deserts of all manner.

I take a seat next to Elliot, noticing that the Twins are directly across from us; they look skeptical on my outfit, and almost a little scheming. Then again, in the small amount of time I've known them, when have they _not_ looked scheming? There's always that mischevious glint in their eyes.

Everyone else is already eating, so I help myself to whatever dishes there are (I pretend that they're all vegetarian, despite knowing better) and dig in.

"Did you guys have any of the other cupcakes?" I manage to ask between shoveling foods in my face. I specifically adress the twins with this one, hoping to make them stop glaring at Elliot for more than two seconds.

"Mm-hmm!" They reply.

"I liked the vanilla!" Dee- or was that Dum? I don't know, whichever one had the blue eyes- says.

"The chocolate ones were good!" The other one replies. How am I supposed to get their name straight?

I smile. They are actually kind of cute when they're not plotting murder. "That's good."

There's not much actual talking done before or after we've finished the meal. I wave to them all, and then I walk to my room, collapse on my bed, and fall into another dreamless sleep.

I like it that way.

* * *

When Elliot said that he wanted to go into town, I assumed that it would have been just the two of us.

I was, sadly, mistaken.

Instead of it being just the two of us- which would be significantly less attention-getting- the entire Hatter household decided to come shopping, too.

The twins walk in the back and I'm in the middle of the group in the center, with Blood and Elliot up front.

Elliot's wearing his usual outfit- including the scarf and the top from yesterday. The maids must know how to get blood stains out well, and he must own an extra jacket- because it doesn't really look like it's been much of anything, not even the scarf- at least, not more than when I had first seen it.

All the faceless people around either stop and stare or walk widely around us. I honestly feel a little bad about it. What do these people do to make the townspeople so scared of them? I mean, they're the mafia, but they don't seem that bad... Right?

Maybe no one else in Wonderland points guns at people at the drop of a hat? Maybe it was a little rash of me to choose the first available place to stay.

We turn towards a clothing store and my thoughts immediately clear up. They have an adorable dress in the display, and I wantit.

"Get whatever you want." Famous last words.

I don't spend much time in the clothing store, but I do walk out with quite a few dresses, and some hair thingies, and some cardigans, and a couple of skirts and blouses, and a couple more pairs of shoes, and some other things... okay, maybe it's less like a _few_ and more like _a_ _lot._ We're in and out in under an hour, which is certainly a first for me and shopping, but that's only because everything is adorable.

And there's no orange. (Except in maybe a couple of accessories.)

No one speaks to me in the clothing store. Not the cashiers except for nervous pleasantries, not anyone in my group. We leave and they're equally as silent.

What did I do to make everyone not talk to me?

...Did I buy too much?

No, it's not me. They're looking in more...specific directions, very focused. It's odd.

"Amber, why don't we go into this restaurant over here?" Elliot says, taking my hand and making us turn into a cafe. He's glances over at me for a second, almost nervous, but he shifts his attention away.

We take a seat in a quiet booth in the corner of the cafe. The rest of them sit in booths around us, spread out a little- so it's just the two of us in this particular booth.

Something's up.

I try to act like I'm just being paranoid and nothing is actually wrong, but there's a nagging feeling in the back of my head that says otherwise. I try to quiet it.

A waitress approaches the our booth after a minute or two...but something's not quite right about her, I notice. Her uniform is different from the rest of them- the color is off, just by a touch- instead of a pale pink, it's more of a coral color. I nudge Elliot's side while she looks away for a second, and I give him a nervous look.

She doesn't speak, she just smiles. It's made even creepier by the fact that she doesn't have eyes to stare at us with. None of the other people do here, though. Have I managed to find the only group of people with eyes in this place?

The rest happens too quickly for me to even fully process what's happening. Before I know it, everyone in the restaurant scatters- Elliot has slung me over his shoulder and is running, well, somewhere- I can hear all manner of gunshots around me. What kind of place is this where people will attack people in broad daylight?!

I don't bother trying to reorient myself, knowing that Elliot has other matters to worry about, judging by the amount of loud gunfire coming from his direction- I just grab onto whatever I can find to help gain some semblance of balance and I try to ignore the blood rushing to my head as I let it hang downward.

I pay attention to the floors and the sounds, as it's pretty much all I can do. I can see the rush of feet- all manner of people in motion, and I don't know the feet, so I assume none of them are from my group, which makes it more frightening.

I see a blood-soaked body in my peripheral, laying limp and motionless on the tile floor as we leave the diner, blood pooling around it, mouth laying open and gaped- there is a bullet hole where one of their eyes would have been. I shut my eyes tight.

A heavy, metallic smell fills the air, and the sound of gunshots and curses spat from fretting mouths keep my shut eyes from isolating me.

It gets brighter. The air is fresh again. He's still running, and I'm just as limp and useless as I was from the start.

I crack open one of my eyes and can see the feet of Blood and the twins- so, at least, they got out relatively unscathed, as Elliot obviously has, even with the hinderance slumped over his shoulder.

Blood walks up next to Elliot and I can see the twins in the back.

"Hi." I croak out to the twins, with a weak little smile as I bring my head up to maybe drain some of the blood that's brought along with it a throbbing headache. "We're all still alive and unscathed, I see."

I ignore the slumped-over bodies I see in the background and try to focus on the cute little kids in front of me.

...The little kids who are covered in blood.

With axes, fresh blood dripping from the sharpened tips, a madness and in their eyes and a wicked smile on their faces, fresh and old blood adorning their usually somewhat cute faces, now more...

Well.

So much for what semblance of sanity I still attempted to grasp onto. Even the cute little kids are homicidal maniacs here.

"How are you holding up?" Elliot asks- the gunshots have slowed down, so it seems that the fight is dying down as well.

I think for a moment, trying to come up with an appropriate response. "I'm alive and unscathed? Except mentally, maybe."

Elliot chuckles. "Well, welcome to Wonderland."


	2. Chapter 2

(The following chapter contains some graphic-ish depictions of gore, so steer clear if that creeps ya out! Kids be warned.)

Thank you all for the reviews! I tried to get this chapter out as soon as I could! I'll try to update at least once a week 'till the end of the story ^.^ it's summer, so hopefully that should make it pretty easy, lol!

Thanks,

\- carrotcakeprincess

* * *

The wind howls outside my window. Bright flashes of lightning keep me awake- thunder follows suit.

I can't sleep.

The whole household avoided me after the problem at the shops. Images of bloodied, bullet-ridden corpses fill my mind, and I can't shake them, no matter how hard I try.

There's nothing to cuddle here, either. No stuffed animal, no heavy blanket, no other place to go. I'm pretty much stuck here, alone in this room, in a mansion filled with cold-hearted killers. And I associate with them. I'm _friends_ with one of them.

I drag myself up out of the uninviting bed, and I shut the window's doors tight. It doesn't muffle the sound any, and the light from the lightning still comes in through the skylights, illuminating the room with the unbelievably tacky hats- even the skylights are hat-shaped. I can't ignore it.

I can't ignore any of it. The _tacky_ hats, the day's events, the fact that associating with this lot may have, in fact, been an unbelievably huge mistake. Perhaps the biggest mistake that I've ever made.

I walk softly across the cold tile floor, shuddering a little every time I hear a crack of thunder- it's unpleasantly familiar.

I quietly open my door just enough so that I can slip out of my room. I step softly down the hall, going to the familiar door I had visited just a little while ago.

The wide halls are empty- no staff walking to and fro to tend to the rooms. The sound of thunder is quieter here, and there are few skylights to let in the flashes of light. Even the rain sounds gentler, and more forgiving- and the carpet under my feet is warmer, too.

I reach the door.

Underneath the door, light escapes the crack- it's a warm glow, like a lamp. I thank the stars for how convenient it is.

I knock lightly- and I can hear quiet mumbling from inside of the door, so I take that as a sign that I can come in. I creak the door open just as much, closing it behind me.

Elliot is sitting at his desk- a few books are open and strewn across the wood surface, and there's a pile of paperwork. He turns his head as he sees me walk in.

He's wearing reading glasses- his hair is pulled up in a ponytail, likely to keep it out of his face as he works. He's still wearing the same clothes.

"What's wrong?" He asks, clearly reading the expression on my face.

I take a breath, rubbing my upper arm nervously. "Can't sleep. I just can't help but think about...certain things... that happened today."

Elliot's expression softens; he looks concerned. "I'm sorry about that- if I'd have known we were going to have company beforehand, I wouldn't have gotten you involved."

"You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault." I say.

"It'll take a few minutes for me to finish this paperwork- why don't you draw all of the curtains so the light doesn't bother you? Once you're done, you can look at some books on my bookshelves, if you'd like.

I nod, walking over to the curtains all around the room and drawing them all. The curtains are a nice, thick, violet fabric. There are no skylights to let in the light.

The room is dark now- but the thunder still roars. It's not so bad here, though.

I walk over to each of the bookshelves in the room, browsing their contents- there are various different topics. The one closest to his desk on a green shelf includes books on law, strategic theory, and philosophy- oddly, nothing I ever really knew he liked. There are also a few pseudo-scientific texts on topics like alchemy. I move away from this one, deciding that the topics are a bit too dry for today, at least- I'll revisit them later, maybe.

There are two bookshelves on a wall- both with clock faces, with their backs facing each other. There are fewer books on these, but the topics seem to be more fiction-based- mainly adventure and fantasy novels, and a few classic stories I recognise. Before I choose a book, I spot another small bookshelf.

This one has mainly recipe books. I see a few carrot-based cookbooks, and on top of that, an apple-based cookbook. I pick up one of the more interesting looking carrot-related cookbooks, deciding that maybe it would be interesting enough to keep my attention, but not enough that I wouldn't be able to tear myself away.

I take a seat on the couch and look at the recipes. There are a lot of nice illustrations, and the steps are clear and concise.

I look up from the cookbook every once in a while. Elliot is still hard at work- he seems intensely focused on his work. I smile a little. It's honestly kind of cute.

He looks up at me every once in a while, too. I can tell- even though I focus in on the cookbook, I can see him glance up in my direction, the ears being a telltale sign.

Eventually, he puts down his pen, rearranges the stack of papers, and puts away all his books. I put the cookbook aside.

"I don't believe you plan on leaving, huh?" Elliot says with a knowing smile as he puts the last book back in its place.

"Not particularly." I admit. "It's loud in the guest room- and there are way too many skylights, so even when I close my biggest window, I can't get it to be this dark."

"Would you like to sleep on the couch or with me in the bed?" He asks.

I snicker. "You know, usually they take me out to dinner first."

"I promise I'll be on my best behavior. No funny business." Elliot says, with a smirk and a wink. "At least, not too much."

I giggle a little, catching myself quickly. "Um, it would probably be for the better. I'm not sure I can handle being that close to the window all night."

He laughs. "Oh, so that's your excuse?"

I open my mouth to come up with a snarky retort, but a loud _crack_ makes me flinch- the image of the corpse pops into my mind again, only dark and rotted now. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself.

Elliot climbs into bed, pulling out the covers and patting the space next to him. I grab the purple pillow from the couch and crawl in next to him.

His blankets are warm- his comforter is soft and a spiced orange color. He sets his reading glasses on the table at the foot of the bed- I hand mine to him and he does the same.

"G'night, Amber." He says, giving me a pat on the shoulder.

I close my eyes.

I don't exactly get to sleep quickly- I sit awake, my brain not even beginning to let me sleep, body tired and psyche bruised.

I let the day's events mull in my mind- and I can't help but wonder what exactly is up with this Wonderland place, after today's events and everything prior.

Elliot's breath evens out besides me pretty quickly as I think, and eventually he falls asleep- he snores, just a little, just quietly, in his sleep.

Eventually I fall asleep, too.

* * *

I see a corpse in front of me, bloodied and battered- but it is not the same as the one I first saw. It is different now. It's a woman- no, a girl- in a blue dress, with a bloodied apron and a bow on her head. I recognise her immediately.

She is the girl who told me about Wonderland. About Hatter Mansion.

A name sits on the tip of my tongue, but I can't recall it.

I see a sword with a heart on the hilt lying next to the lifeless body, covered in dry blood- it is not the sword that killed her. Her hands have the same shade.

I see clocks littering the floor- most are broken, and some tick- but the ticking is slow, growing slower every other tick. Something about it sends a shiver down my spine.

The loudest tick, however, grows quick.

Quickening, and in sync with my heartbeat- I feel like my own is about to burst out of my chest. I hold a hand to my chest, only to find a wet, empty hole.

I pull out a clock.

A clock covered in red.

I turn on my heel, meaning to run- but as I turn my eyes settle on a grandfather clock, loud and unrelenting in its ticking.

Bodies litter the floor.

* * *

I wake up, but not with a start. My eyelids slowly flitter open. Where am I? The room is dark, but it's warm- it doesn't smell like mine, more like spice, firewood and parchment. It's a nice smell.

My eyes adjust to the darkness- but, I can't exactly see much of anything, without my glasses, and something's keeping me from moving my arms much at all. It's warm in here.

I suddenly recall the dream. I mean to reach up towards my heart, just to make sure it's still there- and I find a hand on it, a hand that is distinctly _not_ mine.

I am suddenly fully aware of the breath on the back of my neck, the arms wrapped around me, and the body pressed up against my back. I momentarily panic because whoever it is is _not letting go._

Then, thankfully, I remember where I am, finally- Wonderland, Elliot's room.

 _Elliot's room._

I can feel my face go scarlet in the early morning haze. I try to remember why exactly I'm here, and thankfully it comes easier than remembering where I was in the first place.

There's a gentle ticking noise- not coming from the direction of the furniture, but behind me- is it coming from Elliot? I can't imagine why he'd keep a pocketwatch on him at night. I try to move a little, but it's not exactly easy.

I manage to move my head- Elliot moves a little, too, but moves me a little closer instead of releasing me from his grip. His breath is even, and he has this quiet little snore which is almost cute.

"How are _you_ a part of the mafia. I mean, really?" I whisper. He nuzzles his face into my neck. "Come on; you said no funny business. This is cheating. Get off."

Elliot snores a little louder in response.

"This is unfair." I pout.

He stirs a little- but he settles right back into sleep. He mumbles something, too, but it's incomprehensible.

"Okay, you butt, you moved. Now you _have_ to wake up. I'm not letting you go back to sleep." I say, nudging him a little. "Come on."

"Five more minutes." He mumbles.

"I've literally been awake for twenty minutes. At least let go of me."

He nuzzles his face closer to me and hugs me, still likely not fully awake or aware of the situation at all. "But it's so comfy."

"Do you realise who you're holding right now?" I ask.

Elliot's eyes open slowly. He blinks for a few seconds, and then looks a little flustered, releasing me from his grip after a moment's conflicted hesitation. "Oh."

"Yeah, _oh_ is right." I sit up and stretch a little. "You were holding onto me for dear life."

Elliot's ears kind of droop. "Sorry."

"S'alright. I probably needed it after the day- and the dream- that I had." I give him a gentle nudge with my fist on his shoulder and a smirk.

Elliot smiles back at me.

"I should probably head back to my room now." I say with a yawn. "Thanks for letting me spend the night, though- I really needed it, after, you know...all that."

"Any time." He replies.

I give him a little wave and walk down the hall- I pass a familiar-looking pair of maids and they look at me, giggling and smiling.

I give them a little wave and a smile, and walk on my way.

* * *

I decide to wander around the mansion for the rest of the day.

My first order of business is to find a floor that is ideal for sock sliding, as is the most important possible thing.

I wander around the giant mansion, trying to keep an eye out for where the maids are going so I don't end up getting lost. Something about the idea of getting lost seems kind of funny to me, for some weird reason.

I end up finding the perfect floor.

There are no maids around.

I slip off my shoes and take my place at one side of the room.

I break off into a run, get into sliding position, and smoothly glide across the floor, stopping just in front of the other wall.

I get back into position on that side, run, and slide again.

As i turn to return to position and turn on my heel to slide for the third time, I am suddenly faced by an extremely pink person wearing a boa and odd eye makeup, a crop top, and...cat ears?

"What are you doing?" He asks. Oh my goodness, he has eyes- they're not normal eyes, in fact they're honestly more like cat's eyes with the slit pupils, but he doesn't have the weird eyebrowless, eyeless face other people here do.

I take a second to pause, pondering that this person with eyes may not be quite so friendly, despite all of the pink. "...Sock sliding. Do you live here?"

"Nope." He says with a smirk. "Do you?"

"...Yes?" I say, not sure if I should answer

He looks over me for a second, and then grins widely. "You're an Outsider, aren't you?"

"...Yes."

I can hear the twins' voices faintly in the background as this weird cat man who walked in on me doing something utterly childish and ridiculous looks at me, almost a little disgruntled. At least the homicidal children will save me if things go south.

That honestly isn't very comforting.

"Of course they'd keep you all to themselves. I feel like they've done this before with other outsiders..." The cat boy, with a hushed voice. He gives me an even bigger grin. I have no idea why he keeps smiling at me. "...I have an idea."

"What is this _idea_ of yours?" I ask, mimicking the way he said it.

The cat boy grabs me by the arm and dashes towards the nearest door. I squeak in shock while trying to struggle out of his grip, but it's not really easy.

I see Elliot out of the corner of my eye.

"See ya!" The guy says, waving with his free arm to Elliot, his other arms containing the squirming mass of me.

He shuts the door behind him, and lets me go, and...

...this is not Hatter Mansion.

It's pink. And it doesn't have hats in it.

No, it can't be Hatter Mansion, especially because it looks so much like the man who just kidnapped me would own it.

I get back on my feet, looking around- I turn around on my heels, opening the door behind me with the intention to run back in, but I'm greeted with a facefull of closet.

"Where did you take me?!" I shriek, looking around at my surroundings.

The man chuckles at my misfortune, almost doubling over. "You're _hilarious_ , no wonder they want to keep you~!"

I snap over in his direction and grab him by the shoulders, pushing him against the nearest wall- it catches him off guard, so he stumbles backwards and gives me a very puzzled look. "You're going to tell me where I am or I swear to whatever war deity is convenient, I'm going to hurt you."

"Okay, now I know why they like you." He says, swallowing heavy and giving me a nervous smile. I glare at him. "I'm B-Boris Airay. I took you to the Amusement Park. This is my room. I just thought because you've been cooped up in that mansion, that you might want a bit of a break."

He leans forward and sniffs me a little bit. I pull back, letting go of him immediately.

"What the heck?" Why did he smell me...?

"You smell a lot like that rabbit." He notes, giving me a smile. "Are you two together~?"

"No, we're not!" I shriek, reaching my hand back to slap him in the face. He flinches as I make the motion, so I stop my hand in mid-air.

Dang it, how am I supposed to interrogate someone so cute?!

He's adorable. His little pink ears are folded up beside his head as he's flinching. He looks back over and opens up a single eye when he realises that I'm not slapping him.

"Are you mad?" He asks innocently, staring up at me with adorable, wide eyes- oh my goodness, I'm falling for the cat trick. It's always the eyes!

I am powerless to resist the cute.

"No, Boris, I'm not..." I say with a sigh. "I kind of did want to explore things outside of the mansion, so I guess this is...okay...I'm still kind of ticked off at you, though! You shouldn't have done that so out of the blue. I'm going to just leave now, so-"

Boris droops a little more, giving me an even more pitiful kitty face.

I can't help it. It's too cute.

I begrudgingly accept that this cat is not going to let me leave without letting him tag along. "You can lead me around this... amusement park place. And it _better_ have roller coasters, or else it's not worth it."

His ears immediately perk up, his face lighting up, too. "You like roller coasters?! You're gonna love this place!"

He grabs me by the hand and leads me to his door- we run right outside, which is weird, but less improbable than when he catnapped me from the mansion. He smiles widely and gestures to all the roller coaster tracks in the air.

Oh my goodness.

"This is awesome!" I shout, bursting out into laughter.

Boris smiles. "I'm glad you like it! Makes getting kidnapped worth it, right?"

I nod, breaking out in a run towards the first ride that I see.

"H-hey! Don't leave me behind!" Boris shouts from behind, clearly trying to catch up with me. "I'm your guide, remember?"

* * *

We ride as many roller coasters as possible- he leads me all around the park, showing me everything, but we really only stop to ride the roller coasters.

This is the best theme park I've ever been to. So many roller coasters! So many death-defying roller coasters! I haven't screamed on a roller coaster like I have here!

I am not kidding about the death-defying part, though. These are probably some of the most daring coasters I've ever been on.

I seem to keep up my interest of the crazy roller coasters more than Boris does. When we start going on the bigger ones, he seems to get a little queasy. I am unreasonably thrilled about everything, it's not even funny.

"Hey, Amber," He says, putting a hand on my shoulder- he seems a little shaky, almost like he's keeping. "Can we go on something calm? I'm going to barf if we don't take a break from all the death-defying things."

I pout comically, sigh, and give him a sympathetic look. "Sure, Boris. What's your reccomendation?"

He points to a boat ride with a hand clapped over his mouth. I help him over- wow, his boa is fluffy, he must take care of it well- and we make our way to the entrance.

He sits on the side of the boat closer to the exit, and I sit on the other side. We pull out of the loading station and we enter the creepy doll ride. Boris still looks like he's close to puking, which is a little...concerning.

"You all right?" I ask.

"...No." Boris responds, leaning over one side of the boat.

"Sorry; If you'd have told me earlier I would've let you take a break." I giggle.

Boris gulps, and then breathes a little heavy over the side. He sits up again. "I think I'm okay now, but I want to ask a favor."

"And what is what?" I figure bringing me here is reason enough to deserve a favor, even if he did sort of kidnap me to bring me here.

"Pet me." He says.

I do a double take. "What?!"

"No, not like what you're thinking! I'm a cat. Just, scratch my ears or something, please- it helps calm me down." Boris pleads.

I hesitate, and then I sigh. "You're too tall, so I can't really reach your ears."

"No problem." Boris says. He leans over and puts his head in my lap. He isn't even facing the area of the ride that is creepily filled with dolls, he's just staring up at me expectantly, like he knows I can't resist.

I want to argue, but I can't bring myself to do it.

I reach to his ears and scratch up behind them. He purrs in my lap, so much that he's vibrating a little. I can't decide if this is strange, adorable, creepy, or all of the above.

He nuzzles into my stomach, and then he sits up a little. He rests his head right on my chest, and I flinch.

"B-Boris! Get off before I _make_ you get off!"

Boris laughs a little, pouting up at me without taking his head off. "But your heartbeat sounds so nice~! It's really fast."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're being creepy! If you're wondering why it's so fast, it's because I want you to get the _blank_ off of me!" I say, physically pushing him to the side. "Listen to your own dang heartbeat, Boris!"

"Hey, it's not something I get to hear everyday! Yours isn't anything like mine." He says, with adorable eyes. "Here, I'll prove it."

He grabs my head and brings it over to his chest. I stumble a little bit, and my hands reach out for the nearest immediate steady surface.

First of all, whatever is underneath this layer of whatever fabric it is this vest is made out of- Leather? Vinyl? I can't tell- the sound is already muffled up, but.

This isn't a heartbeat.

This is a clock ticking! I can't even hear the heartbeat underneath it, it's too loud. What is it with these people and pocketwatches?!

Oddly, the dream comes to my mind.

The obvious hits me like a freight train about two seconds late. They all have _clocks_ for hearts. That's what the dream was telling me all along.

So Elliot doesn't actually keep a pocketwatch around 24/7? It's just...

I sigh. "Well, now I feel awfully stupid. How did I not realise this sooner?"

Boris shrugs. "Now you know. Now sit back so I can listen to it more."

"No! You've lost heartbeat-listening priveleges, Boris. We're going to get off this ride and I'm going to make you ride the teacup roller coaster again." I growl. He gives me a horrified look.

"Please, not that!" He begs.

I giggle evilly. "Then stop harassing me about my heartbeat, Mister Cat, and maybe we'll go on a tamer ride."

Boris sighs and sits back up, crossing his arms and getting all huffy as we approach the loading dock. Boris gets out first- he reaches out a hand and helps me up.

We walk towards the exit, and as we walk outside into the park, I hear gunshots over my shoulder- they hit on Boris's side, and I instinctively shove him in front of me.

"H-Hey!" Boris says. I smile sheepishly, setting him back beside me.

I look for the source of the gunshots; the ears are unmistakable.

"Hi Elliot!" I say, with a cheery wave.

Elliot looks like he's just about to murder someone. I can tell by the way he's looking at Boris that the someone he's about to murder is definitely not me.

"You stupid damn cat- how long did you intend to keep her here?!" Elliot says, stomping towards Boris and holding his gun out.

Boris hugs me closer and rubs his cheek against mine. He smirks slyly. "She's adorable! So as long as possible, of course."

Elliot brings the gun closer, and Boris pulls out a gun- wait, where did he get that? How did he pull it out so quickly?

Does everyone in this place have magical shapeshifting guns that they pull out at any convenient time?!

"Give her back, you mangy flea-infested cat." Elliot growls, pointing the gun right at Boris's head. Boris points his gun right back at Elliot's.

"No, you rotten rabbit." Boris replies. They both cock their guns.

I struggle out of Boris's grip. "Woah, woah, woah! No one's going to shoot anybody, or I'm not going to go or stay with either of you! I might leave anyways, if you two are going to treat me like property instead of like a person."

Boris and Elliot both hesitantly lower their guns. I give Boris a look, and he lets me out of his grip. I stand between the two animal-eared people, their ears drooping.

"Now, tell me, Elliot, how long did you intend for me to stay solely in the Mansion?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

"...A while." He says, being as non-specific as possible. I roll my eyes at it, intending to chew him out about it later.

"And you, Boris, you shouldn't just kidnap me out of the blue! I don't care if you can do the weird door magic thingy. I live in the Hatter Mansion! These people are- no offense, Elliot- the frickin' mafia! They're gonna try to kill you if you kidnap _what they think,_ " I say, staring directly at Elliot for a moment. "is their property! So just ask if you want me to come over to the amusement park, okay?"

Boris nods weakly. They both stand there, looking guilty.

"And Elliot, you really shouldn't keep me cooped up in the mansion! I go stir crazy. I start talking to myself- more than usual- it's not pretty. I should be able to roam freely! Are we clear? Absolutely crystal clear?"

Elliot nods.

"And lastly- this one's for the both of you- I am no one's property to be kept, dang it! I'm a person, not a prize to be won or fought for. Do you both understand me? Because if you don't, I will slap you _both._ I will go be friends with other people. Do either of you want that? Because I can go right now and find different friends, I'm sure I can find someone here who's even worse than the two of you."

"No!" They both shout in unison. "I understand!"

I cross my arms, staring at them both.

They look so adorable. I don't know _how_ I can be so stern with them when they look this cute. It's probably the ears...it is totally the ears. But I'm used to scolding small children.

"All right, don't just sit there. I'm done scolding you both. It's been really nice hanging out with you, Boris, but I think I'm going to go home- I'm kind of tired." I say. I walk over to him and give him a big hug. "It's been fun!"

"Y-yeah!" Boris says. "It has."

I walk over to Elliot, and he glares over at Boris again- I give the both of them stern glares, and they face away from each other.

"Bye!" I say to Boris as Elliot and I start walking back with a wave. He waves back as we work our way to the exit of the park.

Elliot is extremely silent until the moment we step out of the gates of the amusement park, and suddenly he starts _fuming._

"I don't like you hanging around with that _stupid_ cat." Elliot grumbles, crossing his arms. "Why do you like him so much?"

"He reminds me of a friend from back home." I say calmly.

Elliot mumbles under his breath. "I still don't like it."

I huff. "Well, you can deal with it, because even though I live with you, I'm not bound to you. You're my friend, and I like you, but I haven't known you long enough to be able to trust your decisions. You're not my boyfriend or my best friend, so you don't get that much input."

Elliot bites his lip and looks kind of angry. I realise that I should probably stop making matters worse, because I'm already sort of pushing it. He walks a little closer to me, and takes a sniff. I hope this isn't going to become a regular thing.

"You smell too much like him." He says.

"What is it with you people with ears and _smells?_ He said the same exact thing about you when he sniffed me, right before he tried to listen to my heartbeat without asking."

Elliot literally steams. "I'll skin him _alive_."

"Woah there, angrypants, if anyone's going to skin _anything_ it's going to be me, okay? At least I know him well enough for it to not have shocked me as much once I realised that he wanted to listen to my heartbeat and not just, you know, rest his face on my boobs. That would've been a disaster."

Judging by the silence, I've said too much.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No, you aren't." I say, stopping in my tracks and staring right at him. "He's my friend, and I care about him, and even though you're my friend you have no right to kill him."

"I'm from the mafia; I'll do whatever I want to, and I'll kill whoever I feel like, especially if they're threatening to take away someone I love." Elliot growls.

"No, you won't-" I start, intending to argue, but after processing what he said I stop in my tracks.

 _What_ did he just say? Nope, it's not possible, I'm hearing things.

My face goes red. "D-did you just say you _love_ me?!"

Elliot nods.

What.

 _What._

"You mean, you l-love me like a sister, right? Of course that's what you mean. Haha, it's so silly of me to think...!" I say, stuttering like an idiot.

"No." Elliot says, shaking his head. He tilts my head upwards. "I love you- not like a sister. Not like family. I want to _be_ with you _._ "

I burst into nervous laughter, but the seriousness in his expression makes me more than a little uncomfortable.

There is no way.

Where's the camera, where's the celebrity host, I must be on the most elaborate episode of Punk'd to date. They set up this world, they did all of this, they must have done this just to see my reaction. They're going to come out from behind all of this fake greenery and I'm going to be on national television.

But it's just me, Elliot, and the breeze.

Elliot looks nervously down at me and leans forward, tilting my head upwards- he kisses me softly once on the lips, for just a moment.

I stutter, confused and conflicted and altogether shocked.

"I-I'm sorry, Elliot, b-but." I stop to swallow down a feeling of sickly nervousness in my throat. "I'm going to need some time. T-to think about this. I'm...I'm so sorry!"

I step back, turning on my heel and breaking into a run. I follow my gut and go in a random direction- anywhere that will give me a break.

Elliot calls from behind, but I don't look back.

I keep running.


	3. Chapter 3

_to address your question, Sleeping Moon: there's no chapter from his POV, but there will be explanation as to why that happened so quickly later on c:_

 _Thank you all for the reviews! I wasn't really too confident about posting this at all, but your comments have really encouraged me to post more- it's a good feeling! :D_

 _\- carrotcakeprincess_

* * *

My feet carry me quickly, and soon I can't hear the calls from behind me.

I try to focus on running, instead of the fact that someone I just met said they loved me, but my efforts are futile. I don't even know where I'm going- except, well, forward.

I've only known him for a few...whatever measurement of time they use here. It feels like days, but I can't tell- my internal clock is so badly messed up here, it isn't even funny. I need time to get used to the unusual changes in the daylight.

With all these people with clocks as hearts, you'd think I'd have all the time in the world.

Ha, ha...ha...

That was dumb.

I realise I've slowed down, but I let it happen. It's not as if I actually know where I'm going, anyways; I'd rather get lost then have to face the awkwardness...

I suddenly realise that I have no idea where anything is. I don't have a map or any sort to use, and with all these people with guns? They could pop out at any minute. These Wonderland residents are very jumpy.

...Actually, in hindsight, this was a really bad idea, I realise, as I start to feel like I'm running in circles- haven't I passed that tree already?

I decide to take an abrupt turn away from the tree the next time I pass it, and I walk forward from there.

I make one more turn when I realise that I'm going in circles again.

I finally see a clearing out through the trees, and I break out into a run again, hoping to make my way out of this stupid clearing.

Please don't be Hatter Mansion, please don't be Hatter Mansion, please don't _don't_ DON'T be Hatter Mansion.

I emerge from the forest and find myself staring at something.

It's awfully pink...

...And so heart-y...

...It's a welcome change from green and full of hats.

I start walking towards the castle- it's really big, and really pretty. Who lives here? I wouldn't think that Wonderland would have a monarchy to rule this place, but then again, who knows? I keep moving forward, regardless.

I make it to the gates and I look at the guards. This feels vaguely familiar.

"Intruder! Who are you?" One of them asks, immediately reaching in their belt for something, maybe a sword- I have no idea. Typical jumpy Wonderland.

They have really nice uniforms. They've got card breastplates.

The other one starts holding his...weapon...whatever it is, I can't quite tell because it's very close within my field of vision- too close. "He asked who you are!"

"Amber, Outsider, lost." I say, grinning sheepishly.

The two guards exchange awkward glances.

The next thing I know I'm being dragged towards the castle. I mean, I intended to go there anyways, but I wasn't entirely planning on being, you know, in custody. This castle place doesn't seem to be big on hospitality, huh?

I let myself be dragged along- not necessarily easily, though. I have to stifle back a chuckle when the guards are both so tall that they end up essentially carrying me in while holding me up by the arms so I don't drag along the floor.

I land on cold, tile floor by my knees- I look up.

Directly in front of me, on a throne, sits a woman dressed in a ruffled red outfit- her collar stands, a heart shaped thing surrounding her face, delicately made-up and regal, her hair coiffed in tight, springy ringlets, crown resting elegantly on top of her head. Standing next to her is a man in a red and brown suit- this man has rabbit ears, too. Joy. I hope they're not related.

The rabbit man looks at me kind of funny. Like he recognises me...

...Oh, no, _please_ don't be related to Elliot. Someone _kill me._

"You." The woman says- I move my head and pay attention to her. "You claim you are an Outsider?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I am." I say, with a nod.

"And how have we not known of your presence in Wonderland up until now?" Well, the _we_ is debatable, but...no, wait, she looks kind of queenly. Is she using the royal we? I figure as such. Let the butt-kissing begin. "Have you been hiding from us?"

"No, your Highness, I have not- instead, I have been trapped with work, and I have not been allowed to leave." Butt-kissing mode activated.

"And you place work before seeing us?"

Oh crap... "N-no, your Highness- I actually did not know of your presence here in Wonderland until here recently, a-and so, I was not able to visit you."

"How recently?" She asks, all poise and intimidating grace in her stance.

I want to quiet my voice, but I know that she won't hear me if I do, which will make manners worse. Her servants are very intimidating. "...Just now, when I first arrived here, your Highness."

She stares at me, and then speaks, calmly. "Off with her head."

In a moment, the guards have dragged me over to one side of the room- one is preparing an axe. How often do they do this? Is this like, a regular thing?! It took less than two seconds for these people to get into head-cutting formation.

I can hear the clicking of her heels as she walks towards me.

She takes the staff in her hand and she uses the tip of it to tilt my chin upwards- I stare at her fearfully, and her stare is cold, calculating in return- she looks like she's surveying me, and I suddenly realise that maybe awkward love confessions aren't _nearly_ as bad when compared to crazy queens ordering my beheading?

"Stop." She says to her servants, and with a single movement of her hand, I am released. She looks down at me, a little closer.

I'm practically shaking now. What the heck? Is she going to kill me herself? That staff probably turns into a gun, knowing this place.

Out of the blue, she just...hugs me.

She breaks from the hug for a second, staring at my face again, smiling. "Oh, you're so cute! How could we ever kill you? Your face is the most adorable thing we've ever seen! And look at those glasses- they are so interestingly-shaped, it is so precious."

Why is this happening to me?

"Come with us." The queen says, taking me by the hand and leading me down a hall. "Servants! Prepare the tea! We are to have a guest!"

Does she mean _we_ as in plural, like, everyone, or does she mean _we_ as in just her?

When I can finally process what's happening to me- I think we pass through a couple of locked doors? I'm too busy being distracted by her very ruffly, very pretty dress, with cool-looking gradients- I realise that I am in a room and I am _surrounded_ with stuffed animals- there are so many- way too many. She's giving me a very serious look now.

"You will tell no one about this room, or we _will_ kill you."

I nod slowly. "I will not tell a soul, Your Highness."

And then I'm wrapped in a hug again. This woman really likes hugs. "There is no need to be formal. You may call us Vivaldi."

"Okay." I squeak, still mid-hug. She breaks apart and looks at me again.

"You truly are _adorable!_ Look at your face. We really haven't seen something quite so cute in a long time!" She sort of nuzzles my face a little.

This is like, a heel face-turn from her just having tried to kill me.

"You mentioned something about a job keeping you from us; what is this job that you priortize so much?" The Queen asks. She's kind of...stroking my hair? No, wait, she's brushing it. I feel like a doll. I could almost get used to it; it's kind of nice being around another lady with eyes. I could use a friend who won't fall in love with me.

I pause. How do I respond to this gently? "It's not so much a job, more like...an obligation. I'm sort of being kept, for lack of a better word."

"Much like a pet?"

I nod. "Pretty much, yeah."

"That does not seem very befitting of you. We are not very pleased with this obligation of yours." Says the woman who's keeping me in her room and brushing my hair- is that a curling iron? "Why do you stay?"

I kind of deflate, my face squishing into a contemplative expression. "It was the first place I happened upon when I came here. They seemed hospitable enough, and I was kind of tired from the journey. I'm starting to realise it may have been a mistake."

Vivaldi picks up a couple of stuffed animals and hands one to me. It's a fluffy little white dog plush with a big head, and it is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I hug it close to me while she continues to very intently do my hair.

"How so?" Vivaldi asks.

I hold my tongue about the morality gripe I have with the Hatter household, because as far as I can tell, _she_ isn't that big on morality, either. She doesn't need to know anyways. "Well, one of them just told me they were in love with me."

"It is typical." Vivaldi says, continuing to do my hair. "They are all so fickle; the second an Outsider walks in, they all throw themselves at her."

Well, that's comforting. "Does this happen a lot?"

Vivaldi sighs. "It does not happen often; we vaguely remember an instance of another girl, about the same size as you, coming in. They were all over her. We remember her being cute and nothing much more, as she was not well suited for Wonderland - mainly, we wanted to give her a break from all of her suitors, of which she had many."

I decide to ask another question after a moment's hesitation. "What happened to her?"

"We do not know. The suitor she chose does not remember her; nor do many of the others. We seem to remember the best out of all of the Roleholders, and even then we do not remember her much."

I suddenly realise that this is the third time that I have just casually befriended a stranger in under one time period the entire time I've been here. It hasn't felt like a very long time, so this shocks me.

I feel like I'm having a slumber party, only no one's in pajamas and there's a distinct lack of fanfiction.

Unless I am the fanfiction.

No, no, that would be silly.

Vivaldi sort of fluffs my hair, which she's been curling. It feels bouncy. I like it. "So, what is the reason you decided to leave the obligation? We are curious about how you came to find this place."

"Well, uh. I didn't _leave_ so much as I was kidnapped by a cat." I say, remembering the way Boris just randomly decided to drag me away. "And, eventually, my, uh, business associate- he found me and I broke up a fight between him and the cat. Then I left with him and he kind of said he loves me? It's not like he's not handsome or nice or anything, I mean, he is. But I haven't known him for that long, and it's just...weird."

I feel like I'm making casual sleepover conversation...Why are these people so easy to interact with?

"As we said, it is typical behavior of the others when a game begins. It is deplorable, but it is typical." Vivaldi says, turning me around and fluffing my hair a little more. "You are, after all, a player in The Game, as you are an outsider."

Hello, new term. This adaption business is not easy...says the girl who's been happily sitting pretty while the woman who just recently tried to kill her is primping her like some kind of doll. "What is The Game?"

"You do not know?" She asks, confused.

I nod. "Was I supposed to have been told?"

She continues to run her fingers along my curls- is my hair really that fluffy and interesting? "Yes, we are quite sure you were supposed to have been told of these rules, or at the least of the game itself. We suppose the Incubus was slacking off, as usual."

"Incubus?" Aren't those the weird rape-y demons?

...Great. They have one here.

"He is Nightmare. We find him utterly _insufferable_. He's a sickly thing who can't keep himself out of others' minds." Vivaldi says pointedly, rolling her eyes with the motion.

...I am seriously starting to wonder now why it's so easy to make friends with people here. First Elliot, now...her. At least she won't fall in love with me. She's straight, right?

... _Please_ be straight. I do not want a homicidal queen and a trigger happy rabbit after me at the same time. I can't even deal.

A shiver runs down my spine and she pauses.

"I'm fine, just...startled. If it's all right with you, your Highness, I would like to maybe...rest for a little bit. And just be alone with my thoughts." I request, making sure to add the _your Highness_ for that extra bit of butt kissery that might permit the ability to sit down for two seconds without being harassed.

Vivaldi lets me sit in silence for a solid minute before responding. "...We will permit it. You will miss tea, but we understand the annoyance of being followed by numerous suitors. You may stay in our guest room for as long as you wish. We will ask the maids to lead you to it. Would you like for your meal to be sent to your room in some time changes?"

"Y-yes please. Thank you very much, your High- Vivaldi." I say, with a little curtsy. That's polite, right? I mean, she asked me to call her Vivaldi, so...Gosh, I don't know...weird cultural barriers to overcome.

Vivaldi responds with a smile, so I take that as a good sign.

She leads me out of the set of locked doors, closing them and locking them behind her as she walks, and she motions for a pair of maids to approach.

"You two," She says. Man, I can't get over how creepy these weird faceless people are. "Lead our guest to the spare room. She will be staying here for as long as she feels comfortable. Bring her a spare change of clothes."

The maids nod, taking off towards the hall- I follow behind them, waving to Vivaldi as we walk.

These halls are weird.

They're very...interesting, that's for sure. And so very large. I can see becoming lost in this place so easily- all the more reason to stay within my boundaries, I suppose.

The maids open the doors to the guest room and let me enter.

"We will return soon, Miss." They say, before closing the doors behind me, leaving me all alone in this empty room.

So full of hearts, and red, and pink...

Admittedly, it's still much less tacky and irritating than hats.

I walk to the corner of the room and flop over onto the bed in the corner, sighing contentedly as I do.

There are so many guards. Security is so tight here that even the mafia probably couldn't get in here. That's a very comforting thought.

Now it's just me and my thoughts, as I wanted.

I sit in silence for a moment, humming a familiar tune that I can't quite remember what it was from, just to get it out of my head.

I sit up and stare at the mirror next to me.

Haha, my curls are so fluffy. I do look adorable~! No wonder I'm irresistable.

I narcissistically fluff my own curls a few times, making faces into the mirror as I do it, breaking down into laughter and falling back in the bed.

...Oh my gosh I'm so freakin' bored.

It's probably not going to be long before I start talking to myself.

I start singing _Red Like Roses,_ just for fun, somewhat quietly. I can't help but wonder exactly what kind of music they have here, in Wonderland.

My mind keeps settling on what I did, no matter what I do to distract myself.

It can't be helped.

"Okay, maybe I was a little harsh." I say, staring up at the cieling, laying back on the bed. It's comfy. "I mean, the poor dude just said he loved me, and I just ran off on him. I could have at least given him a proper rejection."

I mull over the events in my mind, muttering to myself.

"But it was kind of justified. Who says I love you to someone they just met? It doesn't make very much sense. I mean, granted, we did...sleep in the same bed..."

I facepalm as I realise the utter stupidity of this.

We slept. In the same bed. I woke up with him _cuddling_ me. And my first kiss ever turned out to be my most embarassing, considering I just ran away from a dude who had just confessed his love to me.

For that matter, why on _earth_ are these people so easy to talk to?! They're all trigger-happy homicidal maniacs, and they just go from trying to kill me from being friends with me in what feels like such a brief period of time.

I whine, shoving my face into a pillow.

I hate this place.

I have all the freedom I've ever wanted and so many people who are easy to talk to and what do I do?! I freakin' run out on a guy who confesses his love to me and I run into a castle and nearly get beheaded by a lady. The same castle in which I am currently sitting.

And not to mention, I'm exhausted. How many time changes- if that's the measurement of time they use, which it seems like it- has it been since I last slept? Too many, probably. It was night when I told Elliot that I...

I hit myself square in the face with a pillow, knocking my glasses halfway across the room.

I groan and crawl over to them, putting them on the dresser.

You know what? I'm done. I'm going to sleep. Screw this place.

I shove my face into the pillow and, unbelievably, I'm out like a light.

* * *

Home.

I'm _home_.

I see my bed- it's my bed, oh my gosh, my bed, in my place, with no homicidal rabbits after me!

I leap up off my feet, running towards my bed.

I'm surprised to see someone in it.

Who the _crap_ -!?

I try to pull back the covers, but my hands just sort of hover over them, and they feel a little fuzzy as I do it. Instead, I just lean over and get a better look at the intruder's face.

...It's...me?

I would recognise that dopey face anywhere. I'm almost a little disappointed, for some reason.

My door creaks open, and I turn on my feet.

A person in a cloak is walking towards my bed...towards me. Towards this helpless little me.

I reach towards the new intruder in an attempt to fend them off, but my hands do the fuzzy thing again, which is more than a little irritating. So, what, I'm just supposed to sit back and wait as this dude does whatever the f*** he wants with me right in front of my face?! There is no way I am letting this happen.

I walk around him and wave my hands in front of his face. Ugh, it's no use; he's wearing a mask. And it's a stupid-ass mask, too.

I flick his forehead, and though it does the fuzzy thing, it's still somewhat satisfying.

He reaches up and scratches his forehead, right where I flicked it. I let out a manic giggle, because ha, the stupid dude actually felt that.

The dude looks around a little, kinda shocked.

Can he hear me?

...Oh, the things I want to say.

I decide to go the evil route, because, heck, it's _my_ body.

"If you touch her, I'll kill you." I hiss through my teeth. He whips his head around, and I stifle back a laugh. Oh my gosh, is this idiot _scared?!_ I decide to let out my creepiest of laughs. "Maybe I'll spare you if you leave. Maybe I _won't_."

"Now now, Amber. Don't get too cocky."

What the _crap_ \- who is this?! It doesn't look like this guy was talking. I can see his lips, he wasn't, and he hasn't moved a muscle since I last talked. Is this guy talking in my head?!

"I am Nightmare. You need to stop what you're doing here."

I let out another laugh. That's my body- and that a** of a cloaked idiot is-

"Amber." He says, more firmly.

I shudder- there are hands on my shoulders. This guy can actually touch me, whereas I can't touch anything.

But- he's gonna-

"This may be a memory, but it's dangerous if you interfere any more- don't speak. You need to leave," He says- one hand stays on my shoulder and his other wraps around one of my arms. I pout cartoonishly.

Wait, it's a memory...and why should I listen to you, anyways?! This guy is literally standing over me- oh my gosh, is he picking me up- DON'T YOU DARE OPEN THE WINDOW AND TAKE ME, YOU-

I open my mouth to speak, but Nightmare's other hand claps over my mouth.

My room fizzles out from around me, and instead it's just a sparkly...dimensional...space?

"You may speak now." He says, floating around to the front of me.

He's got cool hair. It's like, gray at the top, and fades down to purple. His outfit's also cool- he's got a sweet eyepatch.

He laughs softly. "Thank you."

Oh crap, he can't read my _thoughts_ , can he?

"In fact, I can." He says smoothly.

Oh, right- this is the incubus Vivaldi told me about, probably.

Wait _._

 _This is the incubus Vivaldi told me about_.

A string of curses flies through my mind uncontrollably as the definition of an incubus finally hits me. A few images, too, which is rather unpleasant, considering they involve the mind reader in question.

Nightmare sputters and coughs all of a sudden, splattering red all over the grey space. "I-I would never do _that_ -! I prefer the term _dream demon_ for that reason!"

I relax and sigh, mind wandering back over to the more important issue- the thing that happened before my weird brain took over. "So, why'd you wake me up from my dream? I was having so much fun toying with that idiot in it."

Nightmare wipes the rest of the blood on his face off on the back of his sleeve. "That was not a dream; as I said before, it was a memory."

"Why was I able to interact with a _memory_ then, stupid?" Okay, maybe that's a little harsh. I'm still a little punky from the dream...memory...thing. "...Sorry."

"To be honest, I don't know why you were able to." Nightmare responds.

"Very helpful, bravo." I snark, rolling my eyes. "And what about this _game_ thing that I'm supposedly involved in? Vivaldi told me about it somehow making everyone throw themselves at me."

"That is for you to find out yourself, dear; I can only explain the basics." He explains with another laugh. "You have a bottle on your person somewhere, correct?"

Nope. Not that I can remember, anyways.

"Then look in all your pockets when you awaken." Ugh, that is _really_ starting to freak me out. Cut it out with the mind-reading thing, Nightmare! "...I can't help it."

L-learn to help it!

But, no, screw that, that's not important. How I got here- not here like this dream place, I honestly don't give a rat's a- no, how I got in Wonderland is my most important question. I literally just woke up here, and I can't remember a thing between then and my head hitting the pillow back in my world.

Nightmare shakes his head. "Someone must have brought you into the game somehow without waking you- I would bet that masked man from your memory did."

"Ugh, I swear, I'm going to actually _kill_ that jerk once I find out who he is." It's his fault I ended up in this mess, after all, so heck if he deserves it.

...I don't know why I'm going back and forth between talking and thinking. It's pointless to talk, I'm in this dreamscape thingy with a mind-reader. But I like to talk anyways.

"But anyways- how, exactly, would someone bring me into the game without waking me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, becoming a part of the game requires drinking a potion." Nightmare says. "It is supposed to be done by choice, but that doesn't stop anyone, truly- one would suppose they would have to find some way for you to drink it without waking you up. The most popular method seems to be by method of a kiss."

I don't know what's worse.

My first kiss being that awkward one with Elliot before I ran off on him or being kissed by that random person in a mask who essentially kidnapped me.

"Y-you did what to Elliot?!" I hate this mind-reading thing already.

I roll my eyes. "That's none of your concern."

"You're already involved with the mafia? They're dangerous!" He shouts.

More dangerous than housing with the woman who cuts off heads for stress relief?

"There are less dangerous territories to live on- you could live those Amusement Park fellows, a-and..." He trails off, funny enough.

And?

"...It doesn't matter." Oh, you're not so sure about your thoughts _now_ , are you?

I roll my eyes. "Okay, you know what, is there a way I can leave this dream? Because I really want to do that right about now."

* * *

My eyelids flutter open.

Well, that was convenient.

I'll take _that_ as an obvious "yes."

I stretch and look to the windows- it's dark outside, but I did fall asleep during the daytime, after all.

I get up and look over to the dresser- there's a folded-up change of clothes on it, and my glasses are unusually clean, which I can tell from the moment I put them on. The maids must have come in while I was sleeping.

I open the heart-shaped doors and, though I expected to see a closet, it's actually a pretty nice bathroom. I grab the clothes and run in, deciding to clean up a little.

I avoid doing too much with the curls because dang it, they're too cute to get rid of. I'm milking this for all it's worth.

I walk out in the new outfit, which is a little...expensive-looking, for a "spare" change of clothes- but, you know, it's royalty we're talking about. It's a ruffly pale pink dress that hits below the knees, with butterfly sleeves, a boatneck cut, and a poofy skirt, with an embroidered sweetheart bodice covered in hearts in a slightly darker shade of pink than the rest of the dress, the bottom of the sweetheart bodice coming to a sort of v at the end of the skirt.

There are some handy flowery pink hairclips sitting on the dresses as well, and I use them to pin my curly bangs out of my face.

I can accept that Vivaldi would probably have these kinds of clothes hanging around somewhere. It's a lot less weird considering that she's actually a woman.

I take my other clothes and put them back in the bag- which I'd conveniently forgotten to mention for two entire chapters, but yeah, I have a messenger bag with me, and it's made of dark brown canvas- and I slip on my shoes as I walk towards the door.

I start to smell something funny as I approach it, though.

...Is that fire?

I bust open the doors and look out in front of me, looking around for the source. I cough as a bit of smoke blows towards my face, and I find the source.

It's a campfire.

Sitting in the middle of a hall.

There's a man sitting near the fire with brown hair, and red eyes, and a red uniform with hearts on it...he looks like he works here, but. He has eyes.

"Hello!" He says with a wave.

I can't help but look at him strangely. "...You started a fire in the halls?"

"Yup! I got lost, so I decided to camp out here." He chirps without missing a beat. Oh my gosh, he's completely serious... "What's your name?"

"I'm Amber." I reply, trying not to sound like I think he's completely crazy. I mean, I do think he's crazy, but I don't want him to think that! I'm not that much of a jerk.

He smiles. "Amber, huh? That's a pretty name."

"And you are...?"

"The Knave of Hearts- the knight here in this castle. But you can call me Ace." He says, with that same smile, that's vaguely unsettling. "Is there any reason you're out so late?"

"I just woke up, actually." I admit. I am so out of sync with Wonderland's timekeeping system. I need to work on that.

"Oh, so you're the guest staying here?" He asks.

"Yes, I am the guest." I say with a nod, looking over his little campsite setup. "Why are _you_ here so late?"

"I said that already. I got lost, so I decided to camp out here!" He says, almost exactly repeating the same tone he used when he said it first. Still that same smile, too. It's starting to get a little creepy. "So, where were you planning on going?"

"...Out." Wow, self, very descriptive, bet that answers his every question.

"Do you know the way out of this castle? I could lead you, if you don't mind- it's the duty of a knight, after all!"

Oh. That's actually really nice of him.

"Oh, sure!" I reply, smiling back at him.

He works here, right? He couldn't possibly be that bad at giving me directions. _Right?_

* * *

"It should be right over here!" He says as we turn the corner. We are greeted by a blank wall, for the umpteenth time.

 _Why did I follow him._

We've been walking for what seems like forever, making nothing but awkward smalltalk. He has been creepily chipper about it the entire time.

I spot a couple of maids out of the corner of my eye.

Familiar maids...

 _I'M SAVED!_

"H-hey!" I say, calling out for them. They whip around. "Can you help me? I ended up following him and, um, that's not working out so well..."

"Of course, miss. Your room is right over there." One of the maids responds, pointing to the door right next to us.

How did I not notice that...

"Um, thank you very much for pointing that out, but I was wondering where the exit was? I would like to go out for a walk." I lie smoothly. Yup, I'm totally not going to wander somewhere else entirely.

Sure, there are cute clothes here, but...I don't think I can stay here, either. Talking to Vivaldi was nice, but I'm not sure how long I can handle being doted on. Plus, if I'm going to wake up to the smell of smoke on a regular basis? No thank you.

"We may lead you there, if you would like to exit." The maids say. I smile.

"That would be very nice, thank you." I reply.

"I'm coming too~!" Ace says in a singsong voice. I do a double-take.

"W-what?!" I keep myself from saying more, and I try to calm myself down. "W-why do you want to come out on a walk with me, Ace?"

"Well, someone has to make sure you're back in time for tea." Ace says.

I sigh. "Well, I guess that'll work." We're just gonna get lost anyways, so we might stumble upon some other place in Wonderland.

I keep my mouth shut as we walk through the gates of the castle and out into the forest.

Ace just keeps smiling.

I just pick a random direction and start walking.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asks, giving me a puzzled expression.

"On an adventure." I say flatly; It's not entirely a lie. This whole place is an adventure.

He follows behind me as I walk, unrelenting in his irritating pursuit.

We do this for what feels like thirty minutes until he finally speaks up.

"Do you know where you're going to end up?" Ace asks. I roll my eyes.

"Nope." Not Hatter Mansion, I hope.

...Ow, that actually kind of hits a sore spot...the guilt hits me like a freight train. I fall silent.

"I can lead you on an adventure, if you want!" Ace says.

"No." The answer is almost automatic.

"But what if we went to the amusement park?" He asks. I perk up.

Oh my gosh, I could see Boris- no, wait, that would be awkward if Elliot were looking for me- but, _roller coasters_! Oh, I could use a ride on that spinning teacup one to relax my nerves. There's nothing like screaming your head off to relax you after a long day. Or long few time changes...or whatever measurement of time these people use.

I want to say no because I know about this guy's sense of direction, but I want to give it a shot, too. Ultimately, curiosity gets the best of me.

"Sure, Ace. Take me to the Amusement Park."

* * *

We make it somewhere, but it is distinctly not the Amusement Park, much to my chagrin. However, I don't know why I could have possibly expected otherwise from him, seeing as I've already asked him to take me somewhere and that's definitely ended in nothing but disaster.

It's a building I've never seen before- from my perspective, when you look up, it almost looks like a...

"...Clock." I mutter absentmindedly. Ace looks over at me, a little confused.

He grabs me by the arm and starts dragging me. I'm too spacey to care. "Let's go greet my friend Julius- he works here, you know!"

I hum in acknowledgement, letting my mind wander elsewhere. The distant sound of gunfire makes me more than a little nervous.

I snap back to reality when a deep voice speaks.

"What do you want from me, Ace?" The owner of the voice asks. I look up and look over- he's got dark blue hair in a ponytail, and his kinda snazzy outfit is adorned with several clocks- he's wearing glasses, too. He's also holding a clock in his hand, toying with the parts inside it- he looks like he's fixing it.

That's funny. Aren't clocks hearts here in this world?

...What is it with these people and _themes?_

"I brought the outsider with me so you could meet her, Julius! See?" Ace says, gesturing to me. Mr. Ponytail seems just as confused as I am, but his confused expression settles into irritation when he sees my face.

"Are you the outsider who that mafia rabbit is searching all over for?" The clockmaker asks coldly. Man, that's actually... really creepy...

"...Elliot was searching for me?" I ask, beyond puzzled.

"That implies he _stopped_." Julius says, adjusting his glasses and glaring at me through them. Oh, man, if looks could kill... "That idiotic rabbit has been making a ridiculous amount of work for me in his search. And he had the _gall_ to come see if you were here."

I freeze for a solid minute before speaking up. "...So you fix clocks?"

"Yes."

"...So basically your work is bringing people back to life?"

"That oversimplifies the matter, but that's close enough." Julius says, shaking his hear and looking back down at my work. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to get back the work that _you_ have been making for me."

"W-wait." I stammer.

" _What?_ " Gosh, he's so irritable.

At least he hasn't pulled a gun or a weapon of any sort on me, but still...

"C-can you give me directions to Hatter Mansion?" I stutter, trying to come out with a coherent apology as my mind freaks out at the implication that Elliot has been _killing_ people while looking for me. "If I had known I was causing so many this much trouble I never would have left. I am so very sorry. I will repay you somehow for your troubles."

Julius stares at me through his glasses, kind of emptily. I can't read his reaction. He reaches out from within his desk and he pulls out a piece of rolled-up parchment, motioning for me to come over.

He hands the piece of parchment to me and I try not to look disrespectful, but...it's a piece of rolled-up parchment.

"It's a map." He says, lowering his voice to a growl. "Now leave."

I nod and decide to just leave without a word, keeping my steps quick. I decide I've done enough just by showing up.

Ace keeps tailing me though.

"Hey, can I come with you?" He asks.

"No, Ace." I sigh. "You can't come with me. If Elliot's there when I get back, I'll have enough to deal with just with how long I left him. If I'm with anyone else he'll probably immediately open fire."

Ace draws a sword, smiling as its shiny surface glints in the sunlight. "I can take him."

"P-put that thing away, Ace! You're not coming with me, and that's final! Thank you very much for actually taking me to someone who could give me directions." Even if the person who gave me the directions probably hated my guts. "B-but I'm afraid you just can't come with me. I'm sorry. I'll come visit you another time, and maybe we can go on an adventure or something, I don't know. I just have to fix this."

Ace frowns, but it twists into a smile. "Is that a promise?"

...It can't be helped. "That's a promise."

"All right! Bye, Amber~!" He says, skipping off into the woods, probably to get himself lost again.

I sigh and start on my way towards the Mansion.


	4. Chapter 4

_Just to let you know, there are more graphic-ish descriptions of blood and gore in the following chapters...lol, it's Wonderland, though, so that's kind of the name of the game. If you read this series at all you know it's gonna be there. Anyways!_

 _I'll be updating from now until the end of the series is posted just about every other day since I have all the chapters already finished. So look forward to that~! Gotta have a little anticipation, right?_

 _\- carrotcakeprincess_

* * *

Alice Liddell.

The name sticks in my mind; Alice Liddell. The girl with the long blonde hair, the blue dress, the striped socks, the apron, and the bow in her hair. The other Outsider. The one who told me about this place.

She was the body I saw in the dream.

Images of her life here flash before my eyes; her arrival, meeting the Hatter Family, talking to everyone around Wonderland, becoming friends with everyone. She was so kind to everyone, even to that Julius fellow.

She loved someone here, too; Blood Dupre. She herself wouldn't admit it, but she did. And he loved her, too.

I see images of Faceless. Faceless with knives and manic grins.

I see her body again, and I immediately know who did it.

I suddenly snap back to reality, blinking slowly as I look around...What just got into me? I was just walking, and then...I stopped...and I must have passed out or something. It was certainly a weird dream, that's for sure. She wanted to warn me, clearly...about what? Something, I'm sure.

At least with the map that Julius gave me, hopefully I can make it back to Hatter Mansion before too long.

The dusk turns to night above me, and I roll my eyes. Classic Wonderland. Might as well continue on, I say, staring at the map.

Man, I feel terrible about just leaving Elliot like that. I let my arms hand at my sides and I slump over a little bit. Not only did I leave him hanging, but he's been looking for me- he's been _killing_ people while looking for me, dang it. How could I have just left him like that, and then just disappeared?

I slow my walk and let my head hang down.

"I'm terrible." I mutter to myself, kicking a pebble on the ground in front of me and watching as it rolls forward and lands...

...On someone's foot?

I look up, and I can see faceless people, all around- they're armed with guns and weapons.

I feel arms wrap around me and breath on the back of my neck.

I'm in trouble.

"Would you look at that," The one in front of me says. "it looks like we've found her."

I struggle in my captor's grip; the faceless in front of me aims a gun at me, smiling wickedly. My mind grasps for things to say- I won't let it go blank, not now.

I think of something, smiling back. "How insensitive of you jerks- pointing a gun at a lady. Don't you know that killing me won't do any good? Or are you trying to threaten me so I'll keep my mouth shut?"

The faceless in front of me scowls, walking closer to me and pointing the gun closer to my face. "Shut up, you worthless Outsider scum."

It clicks in my mind; I recognise them. I recognise them- the faceless with the gray hair in front of me, that's one of the faceless with knives I saw in the dream. There are others, too. My eyes dart back and forth, and an idea pops into my mind. They _killed_ her.

"Oh, so that's what you think of me? Bet that's why you killed Alice, too, huh?" I say, scowling right back- they look a little shock. "But everyone was so distraught that they had to forget, and that got you nowhere, am I correct?"

The faceless stumbles back, confused. "H-how do you- never mind! Gag this br-"

I let myself hang toward the ground, focusing on letting my center of gravity be my captor's downfall. They stumble over enough to release me from their grasps- I quickly supply a kick to the face as further incentive to stay down. I reach over and try to search the dude for any weapons, which are my only hope of getting away- but my efforts are fruitless.

I stand, hoping to fight back somehow, but a kick to the back knocks me onto my knees- it takes the breath right out of my lungs, and I struggle to breathe. It hurts so bad _..._ I hear laughing from above me. I feel the same foot kick me down further, and I fall face-first on the ground, arms splayed out in the hope of stability. I groan, knowing this is going to bruise, for sure- but that would imply that I survive the ordeal.

I see the faceless man kneel down in front of me.

"You certainly are a spitfire, aren't you?" He says, condescending smirk regarding my small, pitiful person all highly and mightily.

I spit in his face, offering a weak chuckle and a Cheshire grin.

He wipes the spit off with the back of his sleeves and reaches his arm back- I put my head down, but he punches me in the skull, sending my head spinning. He shoves it down with his hand, keeping me down. I do the only thing I can do; ear-splittingly shriek for help with what breath I still have left. I'm going to fight until my blood runs cold, and I refuse to go down without dragging someone with me. I feel a sharp object slitting one of my arms. And again, and again, and again- it's the same person, because it's the same knife every time, never more than one at a time.

I try to lift my head, but it's only forced down again. I offer another scream in response- calling out names and three words this time- _help me, please help me_ , I shriek, repeating it like a broken record. I feel pathetic.

Elliot is the first name that escapes my lips.

Others follow- Boris, Ace, Blood, the Twins, _anyone._

I block out the pain and I focus on being as irritating as possible- but my shrieks are cut off by a strip of cloth that's forced into my mouth, keeping me from screaming more. I struggle, but it only makes the cuts deeper. I stop struggling for a moment.

The weight leaves my back. My head is free, but I let it hang.

The hand that held it down lifts it up. "There we go. You're much more compliant when we can shut you up, aren't you?"

I hear footsteps and familiar yelling, and the sound of gunfire. I lift an arm and I streak blood all across my captor's nice-looking suit. I can't grin with the makeshift gag, but my eyes convey the message that I can't with words.

 _You're screwed._

I hear the unmistakable cutting of flesh- axes, maybe? Oh, yup, it's the twins- I can tell from the yelling. I can feel my captor pick me up by my bloodied arms, turning me around holding me by the neck, using the knife that cut my arms to hold me captive.

With all the fight left in me, I kick my leg back and hit him square in the balls, struggling free from his grip and doubling over. Ouch, that really hurts...

I stumble forward and feel myself being dragged away- I struggle a little, but when I look over, I recognise the fluffy mass of striped pink draped around the shoulders and freeze- It's Boris, dragging me with one hand and shooting Faceless jerkoffs with the other. My head is still spinning, and the blood loss isn't helping. My vision is starting to get fuzzy, and my aching back is keeping me from doing much of anything.

"Boris," I say, slurring the words. "I'm sleepy."

He looks back quickly and pauses for a moment, picking me up- I hiss through my teeth at the pain of him holding my bruised back in his arms. "Boris, that _hurts.._."

He's saying something to me, and I narrow my eyes at him, not being able to make out the words, wondering if it's just me, or...Haha, this is terrible- I can't make out any of it, even if I try to read his lips. He just keeps talking. I can't make heads or tails of what he's saying, and I'm sleepy as heck...I let myself go limp, my eyes shutting slowly, feeling myself faintly fall into his arms.

* * *

My eyes flutter open slowly.

I reach up to my face to adjust my glasses- but my glasses aren't _on._

I sit up and look around at the blurry room. It looks kind of like some place that would be in the Amusement Park, judging from the colors. Is that where I am? Is this like, a medical center? I can't tell. I'm not chained up, so I'm safe enough. I lean back and sigh- the sigh turns into a painful hiss as I realize that my back is, indeed, injured or bruised. That definitely sucks.

It's a little bright to be night; the time must have changed. I look around- there's a sidetable, and I blindly grasp for my glasses, so I can tell where I am a little better. I find something and pick it up; bringing it closer to my face so I can see what it is. They are, indeed, my glasses- surprise, surprise. I put them on, and the room comes into focus.

I look to my arms- they're covered in bandages, but they're flexible enough so I can still move them, judging by how much I've done with them. I poke at them a bit and find that they do, in fact, hurt. Go figure. And ow. My head still hurts a little- I reach up and find no bandages, but there are a few sore spots. I decide to not keep poking at my numerous wounds and instead, to try to get up and get moving.

Even my legs are a little sore. I manage to wobble up, and I start moving.

I'm not wearing the same clothes that I had been wearing before. This is an amusement park uniform, cementing the fact that yeah, that's where I am. I see the other dress I wore on the table, stainless- I'll be sure to return it soon enough. My bag lies near the dress. But now I have another question on my mind- who exactly changed me into this outfit?!

The tile floor is cold. I'm barefoot. Dang- that's a pain in the butt. Thankfully, my flats are nearby, and I quickly slip them back on.I stumble toward the nearest door, only to stumble back when it opens. The twins are standing there, cute as can be, not covered in blood or looking very scheming at all; which is certainly a change.

"Big sis!" They cheer, reaching to hug me. I flinch a little and put my hands up, and they freeze in their tracks. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do hugs right now; my back and my arms are killing me." I croak, trying to correct my posture from my cringing position. They pout a little, and instead I pat them both on the head. "I'll hug you when I get better, which will be a little while longer."

"Will you play with us then, too?" They ask.

I see Boris in the doorway; he's slowly shaking his head and waving his hands back and forth, mouthing the word "no" over and over again. I take that as a sign that no, playing with them is definitely not a thing I should do, and I should find a way to put them down gently...How do I get this across to children?

Smiling, I pat their heads. "We'll see; but no promises, and _no_ ambushes."

Boris visibly relaxes. I giggle a little as I look over at him.

"Hey, Boris, I have a question." I say, narrowing my eyes at him and crossing my arms softly so I don't hurt myself in the process. He raises an eyebrow. "Who exactly changed me into these clothes?"

"The nurses did it. I wouldn't do that to you unless you wanted me to~!" Boris purrs with a smile. I walk over and gently punch him in the arm, giving him a half-hearted, joking glare. "Mee-ow. Okay, maybe I deserved that, a little."

I laugh, shaking my head at him. I cross my arms and shudder a little- I keep forgetting the wounds are there.

"You okay?" He asks. I give him a little nod and a thumbs-up.

"I should probably get back to Hatter Mansion." I say, looking over to the twins as I grab my things off the table. "Maybe we can catch Elliot along the way; I've got a few things to say to that hairball!" I pause for a moment. "Including a sincere apology..."

Boris rests a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you can't stay for one more time period? It would give you some time for those wounds to heal a little more."

"No, I can't; I have to go. Otherwise he's just going to keep looking. Do you remember that gunfight you two almost had? If he finds me here all bandaged up like this, he's probably just going to open gunfire without asking or thinking."

"Aww, c'mon, I can take him!" Boris says with a smile, twirling his gun around his finger.

I stare at him disapprovingly with a smirk. "No, Boris. I've got to go."

He pouts a little, slumping his shoulders. "Are you _sure?_ "

I laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure. Thank you for saving me, though." I say, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"We did most of the killing, Big Sis!" The twins chime in. Haha, there's that...creepiness again...

"...Yes, you did." I say, mainly just to appease the sweet, adorable...homicidal children. They beam at me in response, clearly very happy with being praised for murder. Dang it, how can two children be so adorable and creepy at the same time?

I wave goodbye to Boris as the twins take me by the hand and lead me to Hatter Mansion.

Unbelievably, it's a quiet walk home.

...Ha, I just called it home.

I'm unbelievable.

The twins hesitantly wave goodbye as I walk towards Blood's room with a sigh- If anyone knows where Elliot is right now, it's probably him. I haven't really talked to him much during my stay here, so approaching him after doing what I did is certainly going to be...interesting. They seem fairly close. The maids look at me suspiciously as I walk by; I recognize them. I bow my head and quicken my step; it seems everyone in the mansion knows what's going on. I can hear them whispering quietly behind me, even if I can't make out what they're saying.

I turn the handle to Blood's door and step in.

He glances up from his tea and then looks back down. "It's you." He says flatly; there's no particular emotion in his voice.

"Yes, it's me." No duh, Captain Obvious.

He takes a sip of his tea and stares up at me from it, regarding me with a blank expression. "Did you enjoy yourself as you took a trip around Wonderland, Amber? Certainly you heard what Elliot has been doing in the midst of your absence."

"I heard, yes." I sigh. "And I almost got killed trying to make my way back here, not to mention I got lost too many times, and that wasn't even when I was with that Ace guy...but that's not the point. Do you know where Elliot is?"

"He isn't here; he'll be back, but I don't know how much time it will take." Blood says, taking another sip of his tea. He's just judging me now, isn't he?

I rest my face in my hands. "Ugh, I'm such a terrible person."

"Are you?" I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or serious; his expression doesn't change a bit before or after he says the words. This isn't making me feel any better.

"Probably!" I shout in frustration, throwing my arms up. I flinch and slowly lower them.

Blood cracks a sly, satisfied smirk, but he doesn't say anything. I stand a minute there in complete silence, and then I huff and storm out of the room, slamming the doors behind me. He's such great help. _Not._

I grumble to myself, and then I realize my feet are moving, but I'm not thinking too much about it... Where am I going? This isn't where my room is.

I look up and spot Elliot's door. Oh, so _this_ is how we're doing this, Brain? You're just going to make me walk here on autopilot. As if I don't already feel guilty enough that I left him there and made him look for me, I'm going to absentmindedly walk to his room. What did I expect myself to do? Just sit there and wait for him to come back so I can feel like a jerk _faster?_

I need a distraction. The idea of a cookbook pops into my mind, but that's just...depressing, at this point.

...Wait...Cookbook.

...Cupcakes?

 _Apology cupcakes._

The idea hits me and within the second I'm running off towards the kitchen. _I have cupcakes to bake!_

* * *

I sit in my guest room and stare down at the plate of warm carrot cupcakes in my hands. How am I supposed to eat these right now? I baked so many, and yet, it still doesn't feel like enough of an apology. I put them down on the bedside table and sigh, looking up towards the cieling.

I feel like a jerk. The _biggest_ jerk. Who runs out on someone who's just confessed their love for you?! Of all the terrible things I could have possibly done, I think ripping his heart out might have been a little bit gentler. I take a look over at my bandages- at least the wounds aren't going to keep me from moving too much. I'm glad the twins and Boris came when they did, or...

Or... Elliot wouldn't have found me alive, probably. Then I'd be dead _and_ a huge jerk. This makes me double the jerk.

I flip through the cookbook I borrowed from Elliot's in a feeble attempt to distract myself, but I don't actually read any of it. I lay on the pink bed on my stomach, feeling like a giant jerk, picking apart every single thing I did wrong while running away from someone who liked me. Why would I do that? Why would I even do that? Who the heck does that to someone?

Me, apparently.

I groan and shove my face into the pillow. I wrap myself up in blankets best I can while laying back-up and trying not to disturb my arms, which is a futile effort.

I'm such a jerk.

He was my friend and he literally told me he loved me and what did I do? I freaking ran away. And he looked for me anyways. Ughhh, I am _such_ a jerk. I'm filth. Scum. I'm horrible.

I can hear footsteps in the hall but I honestly don't give a crap who it is. Leave me alone to die in my cocoon of shame. I wrap myself up tighter in my shame cocoon, hoping I'll just starve to death before I emerge and become an ugly dirtbag butterfly. I hear the footsteps outside my door now, but... I don't want to talk to anyone right now. _Go away_. Maybe if I stay here long enough they'll just forget about me.

I hear the door swing open, and the footsteps come closer.

"Amber?" It's Elliot.

I slowly emerge from the cocoon of shame. His expression is relief mixed with uncertainty, which, considering the circumstances, is...understandable. He glances over the cupcakes on my bedside table.

"I-I baked them." I say. "To apologize. For being a jerk that left you and made you look all over for me. It doesn't even come close to being a decent apology. There are more in your room."

Elliot just keeps...looking at me. I can't read his expression well. How much is he going to make me keep talking? I sigh and keep on talking nervously, not really knowing what else to do but fill the awkward silence with my brain vomit. "I'm _so_ freaking sorry. I feel like such a stupid coward for leaving you like that. It was the worst thing I could have done in that situation, and I'm sorry, and-"

He takes a deep breath, which makes me stop in my tracks- he smiles on the exhale. "I'm just glad you're alive. I was almost a little angry angry, but then I heard you scream and, I...I expected the worst."

"You heard that?" Crap, animal ears. There are too many weird variables to adapt to in this place. Superhuman hearing is yet another one, apparently.

Elliot's expression changes in an instant. "Did something happen to you?"

I intentionally keep my arms wrapped up in the blanket. Should I tell him this? Considering that a lack of communication got us here in the first place, it's probably better that I do tell him...

Taking a breath, I mumble,"Yes, something happened..."

" _What_ happened?"

I cross my arms very slowly, so I don't irritate the wounds. They're still hurting- I should probably not be crossing my arms, but, 's just be blunt here; bluntness is always better, right? "Some group of Faceless tried to kidnap me and attempted to kill me at the same time, and I was alone, so that screaming you heard was me calling for help, probably..."

Elliot completely freezes. I think I may have been _too_ blunt.

I try to cover, but at this point, I'm probably doomed. "But, Dee and Dum and Boris were nearby and they were able to save my sorry butt!"

"Did those Faceless hurt you?" Elliot asks quietly, a sinister tinge to his voice.

I want to say no, but that would be a lie. I sort of shift a little in my cocoon of shame, emerging less like a dirtbag butterfly and more like a useless moth. I draw my arms out and nervously wring my wrists. "Yeah, they did. The nurses at the amusement park were able to bandage me up pretty well, but it's probably not going to heal for a while, because there's already been a time change, and it's not healing well..."

I can't even read his expression at this point. I decide to keep talking, like the nervous idiot I am, in the hopes that something I say will make him relax somehow.

"Ugh, Elliot, I'm so sorry... None of this, _none of it-_ not you going around looking for me all over Wonderland, not me being kidnapped by some stupid group of faceless dirtbags- none of it would have happened if I hadn't have run away from you." I sigh and look away. "I completely understand that you're angry at me."

Elliot shakes his head. "Stop being so hard on yourself- I'm not angry at you."

"Then talk to me! Tell me something, tell me what you're feeling- I can't make out what you're feeling when you're just sitting there and listening to me ramble like an idiot with a pretty damn blank expression!" I snap- Elliot looks a little surprised, ears raising. "I tried to get back here alone because I heard what you were doing. So I could be angry at _you_! And now _I'm_ the one who feels like a freakin' jerk, because I almost got killed in the stupid freakin' process."

"I'm angry at the people who tried to kill you, not at _you_. Because I...I get it. It was a little out of the blue, what I said. I understand why you left, and I understand that you might not feel the same way..." Elliot says calmly; his ears droop, betraying his attempt to look anything but disappointed.

Here we go again. A small part of me says to run, but I don't let it take over this time. "Elliot, don't take what I did as me turning you down. I like you, I really do and, I think I might like you, too, but- it's just a little soon to rush into a relationship. I hardly even know you, and you hardly know me...But that doesn't mean we can't learn more about each other. We should just, you know, take it slow...ish."

Elliot takes a seat on one of the chairs at the table, fussing with the rim of the cupcake plate distractedly. "Take it slow. Yeah."

"Maybe we should just...I don't know, do some things together? I mean, not as like, romantic partners or anything, but as two interested parties that want to get to know each other. Does that sound okay?" I have no idea how to ask a person to date me otherwise. I'm not exactly in the relationship business in the first place, but dating a person from another world will certainly be interesting.

"...Yeah, that sounds good." Elliot says, with a bit of hesitation.

I sigh and completely unwrap myself from my blanket burrito; I walk over to the chair next to Elliot and take a seat. He takes my wrist and looks over my bandaged arms. "What did they do to you?" He asks, surveying the crisscross of the bandages.

I raise an eyebrow. "Why exactly do you want to know?"

"So I can do the same thing to the throats of the people who did this." Elliot hisses, gritting his teeth. He stares out the window, expression clearly reading as someone who's plotting murder.

I want to come up with a response, but nothing comes out. I shift uncomfortably on the chair instead, crossing my arms again.

Elliot turns his head to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, noticing my discomfort. "I need to teach you how to shoot a gun. You can't go walking around Wonderland alone anywhere near safely without one."

"I'm surprised; you guys have a concept of safety here. I thought you all just waved around guns willy-nilly." I say quietly, giggling a little.

Elliot chuckles sympathetically. "Hey, _we_ come back. _You're_ irreplaceable."

I shake my head. "Don't say that, Elliot. You're just as important. And so are Boris, and the twins, and everyone else I know here. They can be replaced, sure, but it'll never be quite the same if you guys are different."

He smiles. "You're pretty sweet, you know? I don't usually hear that kind of thing from anyone."

"It's normal for me." I say, resting a hand on his shoulder. "And you honestly deserve it; I can't think of a single person who would do what you did for me for the same reason that you did, and even then, certainly not for as long as you were looking for me..."

Elliot reaches over and wraps me in a hug. I flinch- he immediately releases me. "I'm so sorry; are you all right?"

I smile. "It's n-no problem, you didn't mean to hurt me. It's not your fault. I just kind of got my back kicked too many times."

"Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?" Elliot asks, obviously concerned about the long list of injuries I've sustained just in the last few time changes.

I give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'm fine, really. I just need time to let it heal. Just wait a few more time periods...maybe it will be a few more than the rest of you would wait, but it'll heal eventually. Besides, I already saw a nurse."

Elliot sighs, getting up from the table. "I should probably get back to paperwork, then- it sort of started piling up when I- er, you know."

"Yeah," I nod. "Sorry about that."

Elliot shrugs it off smiles warmly. The room grows darker around us. I feel some of the pain alleviate, and let out a little sigh of relief. Elliot starts to walk towards the door- I realize that I should probably ask him something first. "W-wait, before you go, can I ask something?" I quickly stutter out, just to catch him before he leaves.

He turns around, ears perking up. "Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you tonight? I'm just...a-after what happened...I'm not sure if I can handle being on my own at night, even here." I stumble, shivering a little bit.

Elliot's expression softens, his ears lowering gently. He reaches out a hand and helps me out of my chair so I can stand- he squeezes my hand reassuringly, not letting go- I don't think I want him to, either. "Yeah, you can."

We walk down the halls, hand in hand, and I spot the same pair of maids closeby. I hug a little closer to Elliot, trying to focus my attention away.

"I'm still really, really sorry about what I did to you. I was a jerk." I say quietly as we walk. "I shouldn't have run away from you. I was just...scared."

"Why's that?" He asks, gently rubbing his thumb over my fingers to comfort me.

"I've never had someone feel that way for me before." I say, wrapping my arms around Elliot's, mooching every bit of comfort I can get. "It's honestly terrifying here and almost getting killed pretty much cemented that feeling."

Elliot hums flatly and nods.

I quickly cover up what may not have sounded so great; wonderful, insulting the place he lives, what a wonderful way of thinking. "But with you, it's different. I got along with you way too easily, even more so than others. And, to be perfectly honest, I'm kind of scared by that."

We walk into his room and he closes the door behind us.

He strolls over to the cherry wood table and pulls out a chair and pats it- I walk over and sit down, and he sits down at the one next to me. My pile of cupcake sits in the center of the table, and he smiles at me when he sees them. "Keep talking."

I search my mind for something else to say, because I know I'm not quite done yet.

"I've just never been one to have crushes- and even when I do, I don't exactly _let_ myself have them, because I usually know those are bound to end in disaster- but I'm starting to think you might have slipped past my defenses." I nervously say, wringing my hands- . I reach forward for a cupcake and hesitantly grab one, unwrapping it and taking a bite.

Stress eating in front of potential partner. Unbelievably classy.

"It just honestly shocked me that anyone could actually like me _that_ way. And so, I ran. It's yet another bad decision in my streak of bad increasingly bad decisions since I came here, and I just...look at you! You're all muscly and, wow, the abs, and..." I decide to trail off there, coming up with more things to say other than complimenting his physique more. "...And you're so sweet, and so determined to protect me, and for the life of me I don't know why."

I take another stress-bite of my cupcake, and Elliot just smiles at me softly, putting his hand on my cheek and gently sweeping his thumb over my lips. My heart beats twelve times faster, and my face heats. He smirks, expression smug at my sudden flush. "You had frosting on your lip."

"That's funny; because you do, too." A smile spreads across my face as an idea pops into my head- I casually rest my hand on top of my partially-eaten cupcake.

"I do? Really? I can't tell-" He begins to speak, but he's interrupted by me smearing frosting across his upper lip with my thumb. His frosting 'stache is truly the crowning achievement of my artistic career.

He raises an eyebrow at me, smirking wider now. "Oh, so that's how you're going to play this game?"

"Yup." I say, devious smile still on my face.

He runs his thumb over the frosting on top of another cupcake, a playful gleam in his eyes. "Well then, _two_ can play this game."

" _Bring it_." I reply, covering my fingertips in frosting. I am armed and ready. He mirrors the action. He walks towards me, hands covered in frosting.

I start backing away, and we circle around each other, like something out of a bad Western. Suddenly I leap forward and up, reaching my hand out towards his face, laughing maniacally- but I fall short and stumble forward, and he moves his hands to catch me, doing his best to not catch me where it hurts.

This ends about as awkwardly as you'd expect- one frosting-covered hand of his holding my own and his other against my chest, to keep me from falling further. Once he realizes his mistake he immediately sets me upright and removes his hand.

I look down and blink, noting that there's now a frosting-covered handprint across my chest. There is something I find so rip-snortingly hilarious about this that I can't contain it and I just slowly fall onto the floor, bursting into a fit of nasally giggles. I compose myself enough to look up- no, waaay up- and Elliot's face- his ridiculously high up face, like, seriously, how tall _are_ you?- is bright red, and as soon as we make eye contact, he cups his face in his hands.

I get back up slowly, shaking a little as I do so. "Don't be so embarrassed, Elliot. It happens. Plus, it was funny; no hard feelings."

He keeps his hands cupped over his face- I move them to the side gently, put a frosting-covered hand way up on his cheek, and bring him down to my level as much as I can. I see him giggle a little too, almost nervously. His face is unbelievably red, and the frosting 'stache is still intact, except now his face is adorned with the addition of a vaguely hand-shaped frosting mark and a flustered expression.

I stand on the top of my toes and still can't quite make it up there. I huff and stomp frustrated back over to the chair, setting it out and pointing towards it. Elliot hesitates before walking over to the chair- he gives me a questioning glance on the way, and I gesture back to the chair again. He takes a seat.

"Good, now I feel a little less short." I say. His ears perk up in interest, which kills whatever semblance of height superiority I had for a brief, blissful moment.

I lean down, wipe the frosting off of his face, and then give him a quick peck.

He chuckles. "All that effort for just that?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're too freakin' tall."

"You're too short." He replies smoothly.

I look over him quickly, noting all the frosting. "You're a mess, Elliot."

"Have you looked at yourself?" He says with a laugh, twirling a piece of my hair around his finger. "You started it, anyways."

I look down at my clothes- there's more frosting than before, along with the aforementioned handprint. I giggle a little. "And what if I did?"

He chuckles and tucks my hair behind my ear, leaning closer, voice almost a whisper as he wraps his other arm around my lower back, where it doesn't hurt. " _Maybe you should help me clean up_."

I can almost _feel_ the blood rush to my face. What the crap is wrong with me?! I feel so shocked that I just...hiccup.

Elliot raises an eyebrow. "Did you just _squeak_?"

I narrow my eyes at no one in particular and sigh. "No, that was a hiccup. I seem to have been cursed with an incurable bought of hiccups that pops up at the most random of times- usually when I'm nervous or happy and sometimes just randomly."

"Do all outsiders have your affliction?" He asks with a smirk.

I cross my arms at him a glare half-heartedly. He just keeps smirking at me smugly. "Nope; they have perfectly normal, non-eternal hiccups."

Elliot opens his arms up to wrap me in a hug, and I prepare for impact- he stops when I flinch, though, taking me by the shoulders and looking at me confused. "How badly does it hurt, still?"

"It's still a little sore..." I lie- it's more than a _little_ sore, but screw that, I want attention and I want it now. "But, you know what? Forget about it. C'mere, fuzzball."

I practically leap towards him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He catches me by my back, obviously still trying not to hurt me. I nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck and his fluffy, fluffy hair.

"You smell good." He says randomly, carrying me as he walks over somewhere...who-knows-where.

"You know, you animal-eared people certainly are fond of smells." I say with a giggle. I decide to sniff his hair, just for the heck of it. It smells spicy, and cinnamony, and I detect a bit of the smell of his leather coat. "You smell good, too, Ellie." He grumbles a little in response, mumbling something under his breath.

"Don't like the nickname?" I ask curiously. It did seem kind of...familiar, for some reason. Wonderland in general does. Maybe someone else has called him that, and I'm just not fully aware of it?

"It's fine when _you_ call me it." He says, taking a seat on the side of his bed with me still in his arms. "But the first person to call me that was some creepy little mouse kid who used to live here."

"...Used to?" Past tense. Mmm, that doesn't sound good.

"Blood didn't like his coffee-drinking- He said it overpowered the smell of his tea." Elliot says, very matter-of-factly, running his hands through my hair absentmindedly. "He fired him for that."

I hum contentedly, wrapping my arms around Elliot's back, bringing myself a little closer. "That sounds like Blood, all right."

I realize now that I am now cuddling with a dude I met just recently, after saying I wanted to "take it slow." Wow, I'm unbelievable...

...But after almost dying? I can't bring myself to care too much. And besides that, Elliot feels familiar. Safe. Not like...well, a lot of other things here in Wonderland. And he's always so worried about me, and it's kind of nice to have someone care that much about me just because. He obviously wants me to be safe. I nuzzle a little closer, smiling and pressing a little kiss into Elliot's neck, just to see his reaction. He pauses.

"What was that for?" He asks. I don't bother to look to see his face- I can feel the warmth rushing to his face- the cutie's blushing.

I hum a little more, just to tease him a little. "What was what? I didn't do _anything_."

"Yes you did- you just kissed my neck!" Elliot says, a little flustered.

I move up, getting a little closer to the underside of his ear, and I do it again, measuring his reaction- I can't contain the Cheshire grin that comes to my face when his already warm face gets warmer still.

I giggle, breaking apart and taking a look at his face, which is absolutely bright red. "You are _so_ entertaining, Ellie. And cute."

His ears flatten up against his head. I reach up and I pet them a little, testing for his reaction just a little more, like a behavioral scientist on the search for new and more adorable behaviors.

He nuzzles his head into my hand a little.

...Oh my goodness.

He's _purring_.

His cute face looks so contented as I pet his ears and oh my _gosh_ it is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. It takes every fiber of my being not just to tackle him right now and cover him in kisses, though I seriously consider the thought- but it's a little forward. Take it slow, tigress. I give in a little to my demands, though- I lean upwards and gently kiss him, just for a moment, while running my fingers over his ears. He keeps me close when I break away from the kiss, blue-violet eyes looking down on me adoringly. It's honestly adorable.

"You need to get to work, fuzzball." I say, giving him a quick pat on the head and a boop to the nose. "As much as I'd love to keep you distracted, you have paperwork to do, and I've kept you away from it enough."

Elliot pouts. "I guess you're right."

I give him a quick little hug before hopping up on my feet. "We should probably clean up a little, too. We're a couple of frosting-covered messes."

"Maybe we can draw a bath or something." Elliot says coolly, not seeming to realize the implications of what he said.

I, however, nearly choke.

M-me. In the bath. With Elliot.

Acting on autopilot, I start walking over to the window. I swing it open, mind empty. Elliot makes a confused noise.

He catches on from the second my foot hits the windowsill. "H-hey, don't- !" He says, in the middle of getting up- he runs towards the window, wrapping his arms around my waist, keeping me from leaping out. "What are you, suicidal?!"

Maybe _now_ I am- here I am, fleeing from a potentially awkward situation _again_.

"There's a balcony?" I say, as less of a _question_ and more of a _statement_ to distract myself while looking at the balcony just a couple of feet away from me.

"You just tried to jump out of a window and _that's_ the first thing you say?!" I realize he still has his arms around my waist, keeping me from jumping.

I slide backwards- he catches my legs and keeps me from hitting the floor too hard. "I don't know what gets into me when this sort of thing happens. I guess I just flee when I'm nervous? I'm like a panicky animal."

Elliot raises an eyebrow, and then suddenly it clicks in his mind what he said- I can tell from the flustered expression on his face. "S-sorry. Don't be nervous. I promise I won't try anything. And, I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to."

Aww, that's kind of sweet...Wait, why do I think that's sweet? Isn't that, like, basic human decency...?!

...Well, it's certainly sweet for Wonderland, I guess. I'll give him that.

"I think I'll pass, thanks." I say, patting his shoulder as I get myself up. "I'm just going to go to my room to get my pajamas so I can change."

"I'll send some maids with you." He says. I pause. Why would he...?

It hits me that he actually took into account what I said not too long ago about not wanting to be alone at night. Holy crap, he's adorable. I can't handle it. Even if that is kind of basic human decency. "Thank you, Elliot." I say, turning around so he can't see the dumb grin on my face.

I just might end up falling for him, if he keeps this up~


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: waaah, it's been forever, i know! TT o TT sorry it took me so long to upload these...school and work both kind of took its toll on me. Hopefully now back to more regular updates! Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"You need to help disguise me." Elliot says to me as he walks me back to my room after breakfast. I raise an eyebrow.

"And why's that?" I ask.

"Because we're going out to buy you a gun, and I don't want us getting in a trouble spot."

Okay, that actually makes sense. "But why should I do it? Shouldn't you be able to disguise yourself?"

"I've been told I'm horrible at it." He says.

"He is, Big Sis!" The twins chirp from behind us. Have they been following us the whole time? That's a little weird...

"Get away, you brats! You're slacking off again!" Elliot shouts, waving his fist at them. I grab his arm and make him put it down.

"Elliot, they're _kids_. Don't be so harsh." I chide, rolling my eyes at him and then focusing my attention onto the twins. "You two really should get back to work, though!"

"But, Big Sis- we wanted to play! You've been spending too much time with the stupid rabbit! We want a turn!" They whine, looking at me with pleading eyes. Gosh, why are they so cute?

"I'm not a rabbit, you-!" I punch Elliot in the shoulder before he can say any harsher words.

"I'll play with you later, okay? But how about we play my game when we do, just for fun?" I say gently, smiling at them. "Your games sound fun, but I'd like a to play a specific game."

That is a lie. Their games do not sound like fun. They involve throwing sharp objects at me at random intervals, from what Elliot has told me. I'm amazed I'm still alive.

The twins pout. "But we haven't played with you yet!"

"I know. I'll make it up to you in a few time changes, okay? Just wait a little longer." Gosh, they really are just a couple of little kids.

"Fine." They say with another pout, before waving and skipping off on their way.

Elliot drags me into his room all of a sudden. "We've gotta get out before it gets too busy; figure out a disguise for me."

"Aren't you bossy today?" I say with a chuckle. He leads me to a few drawers, which I rummage through for a few objects.

Ultimately, I pick out the most un-Elliot outfit possible. A white collared shirt with a gray and red sweater best vest, a trillby, a red tie, and black slacks. I make him put on a pair of glasses on top of it, and I put his hair up into a ponytail tied with a red ribbon. Finally, I just make him wear a pair of black shoes.

It's better than nothing, that's for sure. I make him tuck his ears into the hat, just because the ears are probably the most obvious part.

"And now go figure out yours." He says, picking his gun up off the table.

"No, don't use that one." I demand. "It screams 'Elliot March' and that really isn't what we're going for. Just use a plain black gun or something."

Elliot grumbles and takes a rifle off his wall, making it turn into a small keychain in his hand- it's still shaped like a rifle, though. It is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. He puts it in one of his pockets and I hop off towards my room.

As I make my disguise, I'l glad that I grew out my bangs- this disguise involves taking my glasses off and putting them in my pocket, and putting my bangs over my face, so I look less obvious. The outfit is so distinctly not me- it's got hardly any color and not a lot of frill or interest, which is so boring that it'll work perfectly. I decide to put on a boring hat, just to shade my face further.

I slip on my glasses just so I can walk out of the room without stumbling on anything.

"You're going to have to be my seeing eye rabbit, Ellie." I say, taking off my glasses and putting them into the pockets of my boring dress. "I can't see anything with these bangs over my face; and I'm as good as blind without my glasses, but my they give me away."

"I'm a dog, not a rabbit. My ears are longer." He says, taking off the hat and showing me his folded-up ears, unfolding one to demonstrate.

I reply without much protest. "Okay, be my seeing-eye dog, then."

He puts the hat back on, from what I can tell- it's very blurry and I don't see the picture very clearly through my bangs, but the black mass of hat is affixed to the fluffy mass of hair, with what little I can make out.

He hands me something- I bring it up closer to my face so I can make out the detail. It looks like a clock.

"It's to mask the sound of your heart, at least a bit." He explains.

I casually slip it in one of my dress's front pockets on the bodice, making sure the chain sits inside nicely and the pocket doesn't bulge.

* * *

We make it into town fairly quickly.

It's not the last town we went to, though; it's a new one. He seems to know his way.

I cling onto Elliot for dear life, because for the life of me, I cannot see _anything_. I feel blind as a bat, and the bangs aren't helping. It seems pretty bustling, from all the blurs that are walking around, and the sound of active conversations all around us.

We turn into a store. It smells like metals, gunpowder, and something else I can't quite make out, with the slightest hint of incense. I would bet it's a weapons store.

The conversation in the background confirms this- there's someone who I'm assuming to be a shopkeeper conversing with someone else about weapons.

Elliot leads me up to something before stopping.

"Take your pick." He says.

I push my bangs out of the way briefly to get a good look- I fumble with my glasses and put them on quickly, scanning over what appears to be a display of the different wares in the store.

They all look like normal objects, but they change into weapons- revolvers, swords. It always changes from one thing into another, never more than one. Momentarily, I find myself pondering the reason these things might be able to shift between the forms, but I shrug it off, blaming it on magic.

I find myself fixating on a hairclip- a lovely hairclip, shaped like a flower, with glittering, dark, opalescent jewels, shimmering teal leaves, and white and black petals. It's so pretty. The gun is pretty, too- it's a pretty revolver, with a jet black body, striped with white and the same teal color, with jeweled opal accents and a flower of the same type of the hairclip.

I fumble with my new hairclip in my mirror. The return to Hatter Mansion, thankfully, went off without a hitch.

It's so unbelievably cute.

I play around, putting it in a few hairstyles, before taking it out.

I watch as, in the blink of an eye, it turns from a hairclip to a gun and then back again. This kind of magic is _so_ unbelievably cool. It only takes willpower to make it turn it back and forth. As long as I don't think too hard about it, I can excuse it just as more magical Wonderland shenanigans.

The gun has a nice weight, and it fits in my hand perfectly. I wonder if it loads through the same kind of magic or not, but I'm not in the mood to shoot it and find out- that's just asking for trouble.

I wonder if Wonderland has any type of science behind these shifting objects.I turn the revolver back into a hairclip and pin one side of my hair behind my ear with it.

My hair's still curly from when Vivaldi curled it. She must have used a special type of curling iron, because it certainly hasn't changed much in appearance, even after I wash it- it always puffs back into style. I'm not complaining, though, because I like it.

I look over to the dress on the dresser, which I still have from when she leant it to me, with a sigh; I should go over the laundry list of obligations.

I have to take the dress back to Vivaldi, I owe that Julius fellow a favor for causing him so much trouble, I promised Ace that I'd go camping with him, the twins want to play eventually, and then there's the fact that I want to thank Boris for saving my sorry butt, somehow...

...To be honest, I don't mind those things all that much. It gives me a solid excuse to travel around Wonderland, which I should be able to do a little more safely now.

If I befriend at least one person from every territory, it'll probably make getting out of trouble easier, too.

There's a knock on my door.

"Come on in!" I say.

There's a pair of maids standing at my door. What could they want? "Lady Amber, you have been invited to tea with Master Dupre in his office."

I pause. "Really?"

Why would he want to have a chat with me? I mean, I suppose we haven't really talked since my arrival at the mansion, but...

It's suddenly very apparent just how much time I've spent with Elliot. Most of it, actually, except for the brief stint of leaving. I really haven't talked to Blood, yet. He was kind enough to keep Elliot and the twins from killing me, and he's given me room, board, and food...

...I really do probably owe him a chat. "When?"

"As soon as possible."

"Well, if he's available right now, I've got nothing else to do." I say with a shrug. getting up off of my bed and walking to the door.

We reach Blood's room in no time at all, and they open the doors for me- I walk in, and he's just...sitting at his desk. There's a maid with a tea cart near his desk. There's a chair set up in front of it, clearly waiting for me.

I walk over to it and take a seat.

He just...stares at me. I feel like he's judging me. I shift uncomfortably in the chair.

After what feels like eternity, he speaks up. "How are your wounds healing?"

I look over at my arms, which are, at this point, unbandaged, and roll up the sleeves- they're going to leave scars and the wounds are still a little red, but otherwise they've healed all right. "They've healed well."

"That's good. Elliot gave me quite the earful about ordeal that caused those wounds; I'm surprised you're still alive, after what what he said." Blood says, smirking.

"That's funny, because I didn't exactly explain it to him in detail." I say as a maid pours me out a cup of tea from an ornately printed teapot. It has hats on it. Surprise, surprise.

He looks interested now. "Oh, really? Curious. I distinctly remember him mentioning him hearing you screaming his name in agony."

It wasn't just _his_ name. I try to keep my expression cheerful, even though I'm starting to get a little irritated. "There was name-screaming involved, yes, but it wasn't just his."

I take a sip of my tea to perhaps calm my nerves; it's warm, but it tastes a little weird. I'm not used to drinking unflavored tea, though, so this is likely just the black tea he's so fond of. "I see he bought you a gun- how curious."

"What?" I hesitate for a moment before reaching up to my hairclip. "Y-yes, he did. He said he would give me lessons sometime, but he's been swamped with work."

I take another long sip of the tea. "I'm shocked that you have still decided to stay with us, despite all the danger surrounding the mafia. I'm sure you have realised the danger of being around us by now."

"I don't believe it's any more dangerous than being around a woman who beheads for stress relief." I decide to blatantly quote myself, hiding my smirk with another sip of tea. This stuff is really growing on me. One of the maids pours me another cup when I set my teacup down.

Blood chuckles. "But that's not the only reason you're staying, is it? I don't believe you'd stay here if you weren't interested in something...or, perhaps, some _one_?"

I take a very long drink of the tea. Maybe I can drown myself in it. Keep your cool, keep your cool, just keep drinking, keep your cool...

...I proceed to spill the contents of my teacup filled with hot tea down the front of my shirt. It is very, very hot tea.

Blood raises an eyebrow. "Are you all right?"

It's freakin' burning the crap out of me. "Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

I set my teacup down and motion for the maid to bring me more. This really freakin' stings, but I'd like to make it seem like it doesn't.

"I'll just clean myself up when I get back to my room. Now, what is it you were saying? It was about this hairclip, right?" I lie. I intend for it to be smooth, but it probably comes out about as smooth as a rocky cliffside.

"Actually, I was asking you about your motivation for staying." He asks. Dang it, my attempt to change the topic was in vain. "Could it be that you've gained an interest in one of our members? You've certainly been spending a lot of time with him."

I bring the teacup up to my mouth again, trying to make it seem like I'm not completely embarassed. "No, no, we're just...friends, that's all."

"Oh, really? You've ended up sleeping in the same bed as him twice since you've arrived at our residence. Am I to believe that behavior is simply.. _.friendly_?" Blood says smoothly.

I put the teacup down. I'm a lost cause. I don't want any more hot tea down my shirt. Trying to make me seem cool is virtually impossible with a face redder than a tomato and a shirt with tea spilt all over it.

I mean, I've kissed the guy, but that's just... testing the waters? I was emotionally compromised...It's not like I'm staying for him or anything, I mean... "F-friends do that sometimes. We're friends."

"Would a _friend_ confess their love to you and then search for you all over, even after you've practically rejected him?" He asks, with a serious expression on his face.

"Yes." This one's not entirely a lie. I can completely see that, provided the friend is actually a _good_ friend.

"Would friends bake cupcakes and leave frosting-covered handprints all over one anothers' clothes?" Blood says smugly.

...WHO THE [blank] TOLD HIM ABOUT THAT?!

My face grows hot as he responds to my obvious frustration and confusion. "The maids do the laundry- and the maids are also _very_ interested in your relationship with Elliot, and thus, any related information tends to spread _very_ quickly, Amber."

I'm wearing my reactions like a neon sign. I'm not good at hiding things when I'm flustered, am I?

"It's curious that he fell for you so quickly, though. What could there be about you that could make him act so impulsively?"

I sit, practically feeling glued to the sit, my mind letting his words weigh down on me like a rock. I wish that this would be the time when it would randomly decide to make me jump out of a window, because that would be a convenient form of escape.

He's...right, in a way. Why am I still here?

And, for that matter, why _did_ Elliot fall for me so quickly? And why am I letting _myself_ fall for him? Normally, my self-control is better. I wouldn't be all over a dude I just met. Would I? I mean, I don't have a lot of romantic experience, but...

"You are free to leave now, if you wish."

I kind of linger in the seat, though, looking at the tea in the cup and sipping just a little more. "I don't know why, either."

Blood looks surprised. "I beg your pardon?"

"I don't know why he likes me so much." I know the reasons why I like him, but...why me, of all people? I mean, seeing the relationship Alice had with all the roleholders, it makes me feel more than a little...insufficient?

Blood smirks. "Perhaps you'll find that out soon."

"Yeah." I say emptily.

I get up and start walking out of the room, letting his words and my own thoughts mull in my mind. I think I'm starting to get a headache.

...And a backache.

The door closes behind me, and I walk towards my own room, slowing my pace and letting it all just sort of...fester.

My chest hurts, too, and that's not just the burns from the tea.

* * *

I lie in my bed.

I tried to take some sort of a nap, but then pain set in.

Ugh, why does my freakin' head hurt so much?! And for that matter, my tailbone hurts, too. This frickin' sucks.

I feel more than a little nauseous, which is probably part of the pain package. I curl up in the fetal position on my bed under my sheets, muttering curses under my breath.

There are so many things I could be doing right now and curling up in pain on my bed is not on the top of my list of things I'd be doing if I had the choice.

I hope that eventually a maid will come by so they can get me some pain pills. I don't even want to leave my bed right now to get a book, even though I don't like being alone with my thoughts. They're a mixture of _why won't this freakin' pain stop_ and _do I like him or not?_

Why did this have to immediately follow a discussion with that jerk?! That stupid jerk who honestly has a point?! Ugh.

I stay like this for who knows how long, muttering to myself and generally assessing the situation. I don't come to any difinitive conclusions and I'm not sure I'll let myself, really.

The door swings open behind me. I stay curled up in my position.

"Amber!" A voice calls. Is that Boris? "I came to say hello. You haven't visited since you left the Amusement Park, and I'm wondering how things are going?"

"Terribly." I whine.

"Why are you under that sheet? Is there something wrong?" Boris asks. He takes the corner of my sheets and pulls them back. It's too dang bright and too dang cold.

"My frackin' head hurts and I don't want to leave my bed. Can you go do the door thing and get me some pain pills and a glass of water?" I plead. "I really need it."

Boris nods. "Sure; I'll be right back."

"Thank you." I croak.

He leaves and I pull the covers back over my head, curling up even more.

This time there's a knock on my door instead of just someone barging in.

"Big sis?" Oh my gosh, no, _go away._ "Do you want to play yet?"

"No. Big sis is in a heck of a lot of pain right now because she freakin' hurt herself _again_ and so she can't play with you." I growl. If they come in I'll probably rip their tiny freakin' heads off. They're cute and all, but I am not in the mood.

The door opens anyways, and I hear them running towards me. Ugh, no, don't you _dare_ pull over that sheet, you two-

My eyes are suddenly assaulted by the light and the cold. I hate this so much.

"We heard Boris. Was he here?" They ask, staring down at me.

"Yes, he was. He's just getting me pain medication and water and then I'm going to make him leave." I groan, shaking my head. I pull the covers back over my face and curl back up again, for the unteenth time. "Go away, you two. I don't want to even talk to anyone right now, so it's no use to hang around."

"But-"

" _Go_." I growl from under the covers.

Finally, I hear them walk away. Jeez, finally.

Peace and quiet.

The door opens again. "Boris, is that you?"

"Why would I be that stupid cat?" Elliot asks.

"He was here a second ago. I'm making him get my pain medication." I reply.

Elliot runs over to me, pulling back the covers. "Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

"I'm _fine_ , Elliot, just some aches. Put the covers back on before I frickin' freeze to death." I say- he complies.

I hear him sigh. "How did this happen, anyways?"

"If I knew, do you think I'd just be sitting here and waiting for it to pass? It's just some random aches. Probably leftovers from when I got attacked, for some reason." I say, curling up a little. "All I know is that it's freakin' cold, I'm nauseous, and I don't want to see light right now. Or really talk to anyone. Please, just stay quiet, any more noise is going to give me more of a headache."

Elliot stays quiet- he doesn't move, though, except for pulling out a seat at the table to sit down.

At least he's not talking.

The door opens again.

"This better be Boris." I growl.

"Yup, it's me." Boris replies. I sigh of relief.

...But, wait.

Suddenly the pain's gone. No nausea, no aches, no nothing. Just, poof, gone.

I peel back the covers and look around, more than a little confused.

"Dang! Sorry for making you fetch the medicine, Boris...For some reason, I'm not feeling the pain anymore. I mean, not that I'm complaining, but it's gone." I say with a shrug.

Boris and Elliot are staring at me as if I've grown another head. I certainly don't feel like I've grown another head, so...

"What's up with you two?" I ask.

Boris, without warning, suddenly doubles over into laughter.

Elliot points to his head- no, his ears, because he's wiggling them a little to get my attention. I raise an eyebrow. Why would he be pointing at his ears? I look at him strangely. He rolls his eyes, walks over, and reaches up onto the top of my head and gives them a slight tug.

Ow, that hurts...Wait...what?! Nothing's supposed to be there! Why does it hurt?

My hands shoot up to the top of my head.

I feel something fuzzy under my grasps- I give the fuzzy thing a tug, and hiss.

Ears.

"I-I have ears?!" I shout, leaping up out of my bed- Boris looks like he's about to kill himself from the laughing. "Boris, stop laughing- it's not that funny, r-really!"

Boris keeps laughing, though. "B-but- they're so _cute_!" He chirps, pulling himself up off the ground and reaching up towards them. He gives them a gentler tug, and I flinch a little, but not too much.

"W-what do they look like?" I ask.

"They're rabbit ears." Boris says, tracing his hand along the ears to point out where exactly they are. Why do they feel like they're just there naturally?!

My hands immediately fly to my backside- I _knew_ something was up back there! "I have a tail, too!?"

I suddenly realise that I've just given them an excuse to stare at my butt. I immediately take a seat back down on my bed before they can get too good of a look.

"How did this happen?" Elliot asks, while Boris is- still- snickering.

I shrug. "How should I know?"

Boris runs up to me and gives me a hug. "I don't know either, but just look at you, you're so cute!"

With a facefull of leathery jacket I manage to contort my head so I can somehow see over Boris' shoulder. Elliot is glaring at Boris while reaching towards his belt for his gun. "Elliot, put the gun down."

He grumbles something under his breath, reluctantly moving his hand away.

Boris reaches his hand up towards my ears, petting them gently. It's so...relaxing. I kind of melt into the hug, resting my head on his shoulders. That feels nice...

"Aww, you're purring!" Boris says.

I-I am. I am purring. Man, this is...embarassing. I reluctantly push him away.

Elliot looks like he's plotting murder when I look over him. I shake my head at him and pat Boris on the shoulder. "I think you should leave, Boris."

"What? But why? You're _adorable_." Boris whines.

"Yeah... I guess... but you should leave anyways. You have _work_ to do at the Amusement Park, right?" I ask, looking up at him and motioning towards the door.

"Nope! I'm a freeloader." He replies with a smile.

"Yeah, that's really nice and all but I really think you should go, and by that I mean you should go _now._ " I say, while practically pushing him over to the door. "So _someone_ doesn't kill you."

I glare at Boris, open the door, shove him out, and finally give him a sympathetic look and a shrug before shutting the door.

I turn to Elliot.

"So, um, you're a rabbit now?" He asks, clearing his throat.

"I've got the ears and the tail, so, if that means I'm a rabbit, that's probably a yes?" I reply, shrugging my shoulders.

"That's kind of weird, considering I'm a dog, and all." I can hardly keep back the giggle that escapes my lips- really, I shouldn't laugh at this, it's cruel, he actually does think he's a dog and I really shouldn't be laughing."What?"

"Oh, nothing." I reply, waving my hand up and down to dismiss the topic. I'm actually _glad_ he thinks he's a dog, otherwise things could get weird. Now I only have to worry about... well... probably everyone else.

We stand here in utter silence for a little bit. He just keeps looking at me, particularly at my ears. I feel more than a little awkward.

I clear my throat and break the silence. "Well, I should just...take this back to Hearts Castle, probably...and you should get back to work." I say, picking up the dress. "I owe Ace a camping trip, anyways!"

Ugh, I really don't want to hang around here. Blood is going to tease me relentlessly, probably, the maids won't stop talking, and...Oh my gosh, the twins...

Elliot hovers dangerously close, though, staring right at me. He looks like he's about to say something.

I pick up my bag and slip on my shoes, dashing out the door. "Thanks for the gun and the chat, gotta go, bye~! I'll be back eventually, don't worry!"

* * *

I stare down at the map that Julius gave me yet again.

I'll just travel around Wonderland looking for the cure to my affliction while fulfilling all my favors, I guess. Vivaldi likes cute stuff anyways, right? That will probably cool off any irritation from leaving so suddenly. I've never been so thankful for a freak accident.

It's pretty high up, though. I can't imagine how I made it there so quickly last time.

Wonderland shenanigans, I guess...

...Maybe I can go there later, on second thought- isn't there some weird rabbit dude who lives there?

The Amusement Park is closer, after all...sigh, I wish that Boris had taken me with him. He can do that door thing. It certainly would've saved me a lot of trouble.

I take the hairclip out of my hair- my ears are kind of clipping on it anyways, I don't like that- and I just clip it on my shirt collar, for the time being, within close reach in case anything happens. I vaguely know how to shoot it- I mean, it won't be 100% accurate, but it'll probably be enough to scare off any attackers. Maybe? I don't know.

I hear something rustling in the bushes.

I slowly reach my hand up to my hairclip and shift it back into a revolver, holding it at my side. I examine it. Does this thing have a safety that I have to turn off? Do I just load it like this? I'm pretty sure that trigger will work, yeah.

I keep it at my side; not panicked enough to point it at the bushes, but enough to hold it close. I try to get into that position you always see on the crime TV shows, which probably just makes me look like a dork.

"Hey, Amber!" A voice calls from the bushes. A familiar head of bushy, brown hair pops his head out. "When did you get those ears?"

Oh, it's just Ace. I shift the revolver back into a hairclip and clip it back. "Just here recently. I had to get out of the Hatter Mansion before they all teased me to death."

Ace hops over and looms over me. I'm so tired of all these people being so much taller than me, jeez. "They're so cute!"

"Really? I haven't seen them yet." I really am starting to wonder what exactly they look like. What color are they, even?

"You know, I hate rabbits, but you're pretty cute~! You look _delicious."_ Ace says. Is he...Is he flirting with me? No, no, that's a little more predatory than flirting...but, um, he is getting awfully close, and please don't put that hand on my back, dude, that is so not making me any less nervous!

I believe that I have made a huge mistake in talking to this perverted lunatic.

"Well, if you _really_ don't like rabbits, I'll just be going now." Exit, stage...that way. "It's been nice chatting with you! I'll come back and camp with you once I've gotten rid of these things! Bye-bye!"

I walk a little faster, holding on to my hairclip.

Delicious? _Seriously_? What's he gonna do, _eat_ me? Ugh, he's really starting to creep me out. Is he following me? I can't tell. I really don't want to look back.

I look down at the map in my hands and walk faster. Jeez, I really don't want to run into any more people...I just want to make it to the amusement park so I can catch a break from rabbits and rabbit haters.

I pass the Clock Tower as I walk by, and I pick up the pace even more. I don't even want that Julius guy to see me, period...

...He was so mad the last time he saw me...And if Ace hates rabbits, does that mean that guy hates rabbits too? A shiver runs down my spines.

I break out into a flat-out run, following a path that looks like it leads to the Amusement Park on the map.

I am unbelievably relieved when I see its candy-colored gates in my line of vision.

Safe! I'm safe! Er, at least, I think I'm safe. I at least gave Elliot a proper-ish goodbye, and, you know, maybe if Ace isn't on my trail, I'm _relativel_ y safe.

I put the map away and look up, but before I can even realize I'm bumping into someone, my shoulder bumps the midpoint of someone's arm.

I stop and look over at them. "I'm really sorry about that, sir!"

H-he's got eyes. More of these kinds of people- please, don't hate rabbits!

And jeez, he's tall, too...Can't there just be another person who's as short as I am here?!

"U-um, have you seen Boris, by any chance?" I ask timidly. He's tall, and he certainly looks older than any other role holder I've seen in Wonderland. I hope he's not mad at me for running into him.

"Are you an outsider, darlin'?" He asks, blinking slowly while looking at me. He's got glasses, and what looks like...a braided, reddish mullet.

I nod my head, backing up a little. He seems nice enough, but I am so not in the mood for someone grabbing my ears right now. "Yeah, I'm an outsider."

"You must be that girl who was runnin' away from that mafia rabbit earlier. I can kind of see why he was chasin' you now." He says, noting the ears. "You're lookin' for Boris?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of trying to get away from the rabbit guy, because of the ears. I didn't have them until just this morning." I kind of tug my ears out of reach and then cross my arms, slumping a little. "I'm not sure how I got them, or how to get rid of them, but everyone's been acting weird around me since. Boris is the only other person who knows about it other than Elliot."

"Well, you're welcome to stay in the Amusement Park as long as you'd like, then, darlin'." The man says.

"R-really?" This guy hasn't pulled a gun on me, or tried to pull my ears, or done anything predatory whatsoever since I've met him! This is a Wonderland first, probably!

The man smiles. "Of course. After all, having a person with rabbit ears working at the Amusement Park could help my publicity."

... _Publicity_...

"You look a little gloomy, honey. Do you want me to play a song?" ...He just whips a violin out of thin air. It's Wonderland, so I don't know why I'm surprised.

I nod; it would probably keep me from strangling him for being seen as just extra _publicity_. I haven't heard much nice music since I got here.

Why are people who glance over leaving? He's just going to play a song. He can't be that bad at it, can he? I don't think anyone's bad enough to just start running away.

He draws the bow over his violin thingy.

Suddenly, the most horrible sound assaults my eardrums, like a thousand nails on a thousand horrible chalkboards. I grit my teeth. This is torture at its _worst._ I clap my hands up to my eardrums in hopes that it will muffle the terrible noise, but to no avail. It's not working. Not in the freakin' least.

And then a strangled noise, like a drowning, sickly cat, further decides to assault my eardrums. I look over at the man to see what's doing it...he's singing along.

He seems to really enjoy it, but this is _killing_ my ears. Both sets of them.

"Hey, old man!" Someone calls out. My savior!

The horrible noise stops, and the man looks over, and I do, too- it's Boris. "Oi, cat! What do you want? I was just playin' a song for the lady!"

I give a weak little wave in Boris' direction, wiping away some tears from the corners of my eyes. Boris groans.

"It's not enough that you torture all of the people at the amusement park on a daily basis, but you have to torture every _single_ cute girl who walks in. Aren't you a little old to be preying on cute little girls, grandpa?"

The man with the braided mullet looks like he's about to blow a gasket. "I'm not that old! And I wasn't even doin' that! She looked depressed!"

They both draw their guns on each other, and I follow suit, drawing my hairclip, just holding it at my side nervously. Does _everyone_ draw a gun to solve every single conflict? And look at me, now _I'm_ doing it, too.

I put my gun away hesitantly as they continue shrieking various insults I can't even repeat at one another while pointing their guns at at each other. "H-hey, we can work this out without guns, can't we?"

I roll my eyes and literally barrel through the space between them, taking the fronts of their guns in my hands and pushing them towards the ground. It's not like they were going to shoot each other, anyways.

I put my hand on my hips and shift my posture to one side in an incredible display of sass. "Are you two going to quarrel like children the entire time I'm here? I came here for a _reason,_ you know, and it _wasn't_ to see two grown men act like kids."

Boris and the other guy both freeze in their tracks.

I grab Boris and start dragging him with me. "Thanks for the music, mister..."

"...Gowland. Just call me Gowland." The man says with a smile.

"Thank you for the music and letting me stay here, Gowland, but I have _much_ to discuss with Boris here." I say, pointing at Boris. Boris raises an eyebrow at me, reaching up towards my ears- I'm starting to get the hang of moving them, so I intentionally yank them out of reach.

Gowland nods as I drag Boris into the amusement park, eventually setting him free of my grasps and setting him on the ground.

He gets up and starts walking behind me. "So, what is it you wanted from me?"

"...I just said that to get Gowland off our tails." I realise how literal that statement is a second after saying it. "I really just came here because everyone else is acting weird around me since I got these; especially Elliot and Ace."

Boris raises an eyebrow. "Really? Just because you've got ears now?"

I frown and slump over, sighing. "Pretty much. I don't even want to think about what anyone else would think if they saw me like this. I'm fearing Vivaldi's reaction."

He pats me on the back. "Yeah, don't go to Vivaldi. She'll try to feed you rabbit food, probably, like she always tries to feed me cat food. Only it'll be worse for you, because you're so cute."

I laugh and smirk a little. "That sounds like Vivaldi, all right... By the way, Gowland is letting me stay for a little bit. I don't know how long I'm going to stay, but I think I just need a breather."

"Are you sure your boyfriend isn't going to come get you?" Boris asks, grinning widely.

"We're not like that!" I snap, glaring at him and crossing my arms.

He rolls his eyes and pats me on the shoulder, drawing me a little closer. "Hey, I was just kidding. You need to relax. I'll help you find the cure tomorrow, but for the rest of the day, why don't we just run around the Amusement Park?"

...I guess I do sort of need it.

It would be beneficial to hang out around someone who won't get too weird around me in one way or another. Boris is just so...nice. He doesn't even think much of the ears, which is nice, because I've had plenty of reactions already and I don't want to see how many different reactions everyone else will have.

I release the tension in my shoulders and relax. "Yeah, that would be nice, Boris."

It should be nice to have some time away.


	6. Chapter 6

We decide to hit the roller coasters first.

My personal favorite- a bright pink, glittering coaster called Glittervomit (which is perhaps the best name for a rollercoaster I've ever seen, and I will have to give whoever came up with the idea of it a high-five) is the one we go on first.

Boris shows a little pass he has with him to a ride attendant and, amazingly, we skip the entire line! Which is a very long line, at that.

As we pull up to the front, the last car is already pulling out of the station, but the next should be here soon enough. I twiddle my thumbs as we wait in line.

"So what's the deal with you and Elliot, anyways?" He asks, out of the blue.

I do a double-take. "What about us?"

"Just, what's your relationship? He's clearly into you, you know. Did you see the way he was looking at you when you got those ears? It's honestly kind of-"

"Why do you think I left?" I snap, a little colder than I intended- I tense my shoulders and glare at no one in particularly, relaxing my shoulders. "We...we've kissed, and we do hang out a lot, but nothing more. I don't know what to feel about him, yet..."

Boris smirks. "Good, that means I've still got a chance~! Who could turn down such a cute kitty? Don't you just want to take me home?" He laughs jokingly, intentionally hamming it up and making himself look like a cute little kitty- as much as possible while still standing.

Eventually, we do ride it- and then we ride a few more.

Boris does manage to get my mind off of recent events- keeping me going from one ride to another. He doesn't bring up my relationship with Elliot again, thankfully.

"I've got a great idea." He says, grabbing me by my wrist and pulling me in a direction I don't think I've been before in the park. "You like screaming, right?"

"...In the right situation, yeah?"

He stops and gestures to a ratty-looking mansion. Is this really an attraction? "It's a haunted house! I really had to fight with that old geezer to get this one open again, but it's newly renovated. Have you ever been to one before?"

I pause. I don't think I have, but...do I really want to say it?

I sigh and give in. "No, Boris, I haven't been to one."

A Cheshire grin spreads over his face and he takes me by the wrist, leading me in through the entrance of the haunted house.

It's bright and sunny outside, and it's the familiar pastel colors of the rest of the Amusement park. I breathe a sigh of relief as the door shuts behind us, finally free of the haunted house- I don't know what I was expecting, but I almost feel like kissing the pavement beneath me, because that was _scary_ …but not in a fun enough way.

I start running towards the nearest ice cream stand in search of food-based comfort, keeping Boris in tow, dragging him by his wrist.

"What can I get you two?" The worker operating the cute little stand asks.

I look over at the menu- ooh; they have all sorts of cute novelty ice creams. I feel like something classic, though. "I'd like an orange creamsicle, please."

"And I'll have a melon popsicle." Boris butts in.

The worker hands us both and I dig into my bag, in case I have some shopping money floating around here- I find some, but before I can, Boris just hands some to the employee.

"My treat!" He says, handing me my creamsicle and smiling. "Because that haunted house was so lame."

"I guess you could say it was." I say with a nod. I didn't scream enough. There weren't enough things that pop out at you. It wasn't nearly as gory as it could have been- overall, it was _super_ freaking lame.

Out of the corner of my eye I see red and blue, oddly familiar blurs as I mull over the lameness of the ride and I do a double-take.

...Oh crap. Please, don't be those two!

I whip my head around, and my fears are confirmed- it's the twins.

"Boris, do the door thing, we need to get out of here." I say, panicking more than a little. He looks at me weird.

"Why?" He asks, blinking at me.

"Just get me out of here; I can't deal with those two right now!" I say, leading him towards the nearest door- which just so happens to be for a family restroom- and standing next to it.

He swings it open and we step through it.

It's not a room I've been in before- it's not his. It still looks like it's in the Amusement Park, though. There aren't enough hats, clocks, or hearts to be a room anywhere else.

I sigh of relief and take a seat on the floor, getting out my creamsicle and tasting it a bit.

"What was that about?" He asks, eating a bit of his own popsicle.

"I saw the Twins. I haven't seen them since I got the ears- I don't even want to think about what's going to happen when I face them with these." I say, shuddering a little.

"Oh, really?" Boris says, his ears perking up a bit. "They've really been pouting about not seeing you much. They're always irritated when I talk about you."

I raise an eyebrow. "You talk to them enough for that to happen?"

"Well, yeah." He says. "We like to spar a lot."

I roll my eyes and smile. Oh, that's so them. I can so easily see that.

"You talk about me a lot?" I ask.

"Well, it's more like they _ask_ about you- I mostly talk about you when I want to taunt them. It gets entertaining when they're angry at me." Boris says, grinning. He seems quite satisfied with himself.

I frown a little. "Just keep yourself safe, okay? Stay on your toes. I don't want you getting hurt, you hear?"

Boris laughs. "I'll make sure to do that."

The door slams open and I jump, holding onto my creamsicle for dear life. I let out a shrieky squeak, looking at the door.

"Big Sis!"

Oh, crap, they found us!

They leap towards me and wrap me in a hug, covering me in small children in corresponding clothes. I still don't know which one's which...

"Hey, Big Sis, you have ears now!" They say, reaching up towards them. I get up and stand on a chair, trying to get away from them.

"Y-yeah, and you can't touch them!" I yell.

"Hey, Brother, doesn't it look like she spends all her time with the animal people?" One of them asks- the red one- to the blue one.

The blue one smiles. "Yeah. Could it be that Big Sis has an..."

"...Animal fetish?" They both say in unison, in a creepy way that makes my skin crawl.

"I-It's not my fault that everyone else acts completely weird because of these!" I shriek. Boris is clearly losing his marbles, laughing so hard beside me that he's basically silent. I am tempted to go over there and kick him. "Get away!"

"Let us pet them, Big Sis!" They beg, reaching up their tiny hands towards me.

Boris wheezes mid-laugh, practically dying of laughter now.

" _Boris_!" I hiss.

He gets up- it takes him a minute- and he composes himself. "All right, you brats, you heard her- leave her be."

They whine. "But we want some time with Big Sis and her cute ears!"

"You can have that time later, we're spending time together right now." Boris says, letting a chuckle slip past. I glare at him and he straightens up.

"We'll fight you for it!" They say pulling out axes- wait, axes?! Where did they get those axes?! They weren't holding them just a second ago!

"Hey, woah, nobody's fighting anyone!" I say, stepping down from my perch on my chair. "Petting me is not some prize to be won!"

The twins look up at me, cute little pouty faces and pleading eyes.

I break.

"Okay, come here." I say, reluctantly opening my arms and biting my lip, preparing for the worst. Boris looks at me sympathetically.

They immediately position themselves in perfect petting positions, cuddling up to me and assaulting my ears.

They're tugging at them and poking at them and it's really irritating me. I close my eyes so I can't see their next plan of attack, flinching constantly as every new poke and prod at my ears makes me feel even more sorry than I already did.

They get a little heavier.

Suddenly there's breath on each side of my neck and...hands on my shirt...my eyes snap open and I stare at two grown adults literally feeling me up.

I screech. "What the heck?!"

"What's wrong, Big Sis?" They ask. One of them has short hair and red eyes, and the other has long hair and blue eyes.

It can't be...

...These two are the twins?

They hover unbelievably close- one of them runs their hands through my hair, and their touch on my ears suddenly becomes soft.

Nope.

I'm done.

Goodbye.

I fall backwards and let myself faint, hitting the floor with a thud.

I'm home again.

At the park, near the coffee shop where I used to meet my friends.

But I know I'm dreaming.

It's too pristine, too surreal- everyone walking around is too perfect, too unrealistic. It's like the remake of your favorite old movie- it's supposed to be better, but in its supposed perfection, it smudges all the details that made it charming.

My friends chat at the table nearby.

They don't acknowledge me as I walk by, which further confirms that I'm dreaming, or at least in a memory.

Why does this keep happening, anyways?

"That's what I'd like to know."

I turn on my heel and see Nightmare, floating again, as always.

Can you get me out of this place and into that weird dreamscape place? This is downright depressing, Nightmare. It's delved far too deep into the uncanny valley to be anywhere near comforting.

In a moment, the surroundings fizzle out into a garden- a garden filled with flowers of all different types, a light floral scent filling the air. I take a seat at a table that has conveniently appeared. I don't want to stand all of the time, even in a dream.

"So, do you know how to get rid of these ears?" I ask. "If there's anyone who might know, I would think that it'd be you."

"How long have you had them?" He asks.

I pause to think...it's felt like a while, but it's only been a couple of time changes. "Under five time changes."

He blinks slowly. "And how do you think you got them?"

"Well, I didn't really do much of anything for them to just appear. I was curled up in a bunch of pain before the ears and the tail appeared." I reply.

Nightmare hovers a little closer to the table. "And what had you been doing right before the pain showed up?"

I take a second to think...I was just having tea with Blood. Of course, I did spill that tea down the front of my shirt, but that probably wasn't the reason. The tea did taste kind of weird.

I open my mind to speak, but as I realize that I'm in the presence of a mind reader, I figure that I don't even need to talk.

Nightmare starts laughing, quietly, but soon he just bursts into a fit of laughter.

The realization hits me like a freight train.

The tea tasted weird...

Blood's vague comment as I left the room...

THAT SON OF AN [offensive insult] TURNED ME INTO A RABBIT!

I imagine myself punching Blood in the face- which is ridiculously satisfying- and Nightmare laughs even harder. I step onto the table, leap up, and punch him in the face- the laughing turns into a coughing fit quickly.

"Now tell me how I can turn back into a person or else there's more where that came from." I demand, staring at Nightmare menacingly and pounding one fist into my other palm repeatedly.

He stops coughing and wipes the blood off on his sleeve, clearing his throat. "I don't know- Blood would know, but unfortunately, I can't help you."

I take a seat back down at the table, slumping over.

I sigh and look back up at him. "Thanks for trying." Nightmare raises an eyebrow. "What, you've never gotten a 'thanks' before?" I ask, quizzically staring at him.

He shakes his head. "Not particularly, no. I'm seen usually as sort of a nuisance, because of my abilities."

"Well, that sucks. It's not like you can help it." I mumble. They don't have to like the whole mind-reading thing, but it's not like they have to be jerks.

Nightmare smiles and laughs. "It's nice that someone approaches it that way."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a cute orange cat- it has adorable blue eyes. It kind of reminds me of Elliot, but not really. It'd be funnier if he had a scarf.

He floats up to the cat, staring at me. "You really do like him, don't you?"

I blush, putting the cat down gently and putting my hands in my lap. I notice something in my pocket, and I pull it out. It's a crystal vial- the one the man in the mask forced on me- but there's liquid in it now. It's almost completely full.

"That's the Potion of Hearts." Nightmare says. "You can return home, if you wish, once the vial is completely full."

The idea of it vaguely crosses my mind...I certainly do miss my friends...But there are so many opportunities I have here that I've never had back at home. And I don't think I'd be able to find them if I left.

And...Elliot's here, too.

A-and Boris, of course, and everyone else.

"Returning is your own decision." Nightmare says, closing my hand over the bottle. "It's a decision you cannot take lightly. Make it well."

I slowly open my eyes.

Sun filters in through the windows and I look around- yep, I'm still in the amusement park. I don't know why I thought I wouldn't be.

The events of the dream mull in my mind, but I push them to the back of my brain, for now. I've got to get back to the Mansion first.

I stretch and slowly slide out of the comfy bed, where Boris must have put me after I fainted, but as I do so I can't help but notice ears poking up over the side of the bed.

I lean over the weird criblike railing of the bed and see Elliot, slumped up against the side of the bed, sleeping. I sigh and acknowledge that this was bound to happen.

How long has he been there?

I reach up to my own ears and scratch them for a second. Guess I'm stuck with these for now, huh? I'll just have to adapt, like I have to everything else...

I'm stuck with the tail, too.

I look over at Elliot again, rolling my eyes and smiling. I guess that he came looking for me after all, even after I said goodbye. This time, though, he found me, and nobody got injured in the process, hopefully.

I slip out of the bed towards the end, getting out and leaving Elliot out in his place. I take the blanket off the bed and wrap it around him- it's a little chilly in this place. He stirs a little in his sleep and wraps the blanket closer. It's really honestly adorable.

He looks so helpless and cute when he sleeps. It's the complete opposite of what I initially perceived him to be like. I like this side of him.

Even under the blanket, he shivers. His facial expression looks...pained.

...Is he having a nightmare? What should I do?

I lean up against him, wrapping my arms around him and nuzzling my face into his shoulder. He rests his chin on the top of my head, and he stops stirring so much.

He reaches his arms around the blanket and brings me closer, nose twitching a little.

He starts to open his eyes, and he flinches when he sees me.

"You came looking for me, huh?" I say, looking up at him with a knowing expression.

Elliot pushes me away a little, which is honestly not the reaction I was expecting. He sleepily shakes his head and frowns at me, crossing his arms. "You left again. How was I supposed to not look for you?"

"I was going out and fulfilling favors." Even if that was a half-lie, it's what I ended up doing, sort of. I hung out with Boris for a while, which is...close enough to fulfilling a favor, I guess? "I even gave you a somewhat proper goodbye."

"I needed to find you and make sure you were safe." He says flatly.

"Well, you found me, and I'm safe." I reply. "I just needed a break from Hatter Mansion because of, well, the ears. The twins and Blood were going to torture me relentlessly."

He crosses his arms, shaking his head. "I get that, but...why do you always have to leave without explaining why?"

"Am I supposed to tell you my every whereabout now? What gives you the right to think you have that you deserve that? All you've been doing is sitting there whenever I try to give you any affection, and really, at this point you just push me away."

"Because you did the same thing to me when I first told you!" He snaps at me, staring at me. I throw my hands up in the air.

"That's because I didn't like you that way, then!" I snap right back at him, grabbing him by his stupid scarf. "Now I _do_! What are you so afraid of?"

He grabs my arms, getting up in my face. "I'm afraid you'll run away whenever I try to ask you about something or do something for you! You've tried to jump out of a window and you've just ran out on me twice already- I don't know how to deal with you!"

"Do you think I'm doing any better? You hardly talk to me! I'm always the one doing the talking and you just _sit_ there while I try to show you how much I like you! It's not enough that I have to deal with the ears, but you started acting weird when I got them, just like anything else! Just be _honest_ with me!"

Elliot sighs, his face turning a little red. "...I just did it because you look really weirdly hot with them for whatever reason, and I don't know how to react to it because I know you're bothered when I take things too quickly. Sorry."

...Well, I asked for honesty, and I got it.

I sigh, letting the tension out of my shoulders and loosening my grip on his scarf. May as well admit this. "I'm sorry I keep running. I'm really, really scared- no, downright terrified- by pretty much everything here, and running away is just how I react to romantic situations that scare me in particular. I...I won't do it any more. You just have to talk to me, okay? Communicate with me."

"I could say the same thing about you." Elliot replies.

"Y-yeah." I say, slumping my shoulders.

Am I always gonna be like this? Ugh, I am really bad at this whole romance thing.

Elliot leans forward, brushing his hand over my cheek, wrapping me up in his arms. I wrap mine around him in return.

I fumble with his scarf gently now, tracing my fingers over the smooth fabric.

"You think the ears are attractive, huh?" I joke with a smile, trying to break the leftover tension from the pseudo-argument.

"Just because they make you look even cuter, if that's even possible." He says, running his hand over the edges of them, sending a lovely shiver down my spine. "And because now I finally know exactly where to find someplace on you that's sensitive."

"J-jeez, Elliot, it's not that hard to find sensitive spots." I say, shifting in his grip. I'm sensitive in a _lot_ of places, but I won't let him know that. quite yet.

He laughs softly. "Oh, really? I guess I'll look for them, then, if you'll let me."

Elliot runs his fingers before my hand, fingers running downwards and gently dancing along the back of my neck and the top of my spine, sending more little shivers- he pauses, looking towards me. "It's like I said, it's not t-that hard."

"So, will you let me?" He asks.

I bite my lip- I mean, I've essentially had my fun with this in a way already...but it would be so much easier if we just talked about it. "You know, why don't I just tell you?"

"What's the fun in that?" He asks, tracing down my back, testing for my reaction.

"You have a point." I reply, shaking a little. He's really gentle, the way he does it.

All of the sudden he starts to tickle my sides- I let out a shrieky squeak before bursting into laughter as he continues to tickle me. "You're very ticklish, aren't you?"

I compose myself as he pauses. "I d-don't know where you'd get that idea."

He laughs softly and runs his hands through my hair, leaning forward and resting his head on my shoulder, his face in the crook of my neck. I run my own hands through his hair, scratching his ears. It's not like I'm going to let him have all the fun.

"It really irks me when you smell like someone else." Elliot says, nuzzling himself closer and pressing a small kiss to my neck.

I sigh and scratch behind his ears. "Well, you're going to have to get used to that. Boris is a cuddler like you would not _believe_ , and he's a good friend of mine, so chances are we're going to hang out."

Elliot pauses and pulls away, face stoic, but his eyes betray him- he's concerned and almost sad, and I know it.

"You don't like him in _that_ way, do you?" He asks.

I reach forward and run my hand through his hair. "Of course not. Boris is nice, and he does like to flirt- and for that matter so do I- but we're friends above all else. You, however? I have to say our relationship has quite a bit more complication than that."

His expression still doesn't change. "What kind of complication?"

"Well, I don't want to kiss Boris at all, but I know for a fact that I want to kiss you."

His ears perk up as I say the words, and he smiles.

Elliot brings me forward and gently presses his lips to mine, hands across my back, holding me close. I wrap my arms around his neck and bring myself closer, smiling as I break away from the kiss.

His blue-violet eyes stare into mine- they sparkle in a beautiful sort of way, like shimmering gemstones glinting in sunlight. Romantic thoughts run through my mind like lines from a cheesy romance novel.

I toy with a lock of his hair, shaking my head slowly and leaning close. "You know, I really do think that you've slipped past all my defenses."

"I'm glad I have, Amber." He says with a smile, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

I cuddle up closer to him. "I'm glad you have, too."

He wraps the blanket around us again as the sky outside turns from light to night.

I certainly wouldn't mind sleeping in a little longer.

I turn sweetly to a maid as Elliot and I make it through the doors of Hatter Mansion. "Do you think that Blood would be available right now?"

"Master Dupre is currently on break, so yes." The maid replies.

I grab Elliot by the wrist and drag him in the general direction of Blood's office. "I have to have a word with Blood."

Elliot looks confused. "Why's that?"

"I think he's the reason I have these ears." I say, swinging open the door to his office. Blood appears to be drinking tea- midsip, in fact, as I first spot him. He puts it down and smiles, probably noticing how I'm grabbing Elliot by the wrist.

"My, my, you seem to be in quite a rush. What seems to be the problem?" He asks.

I compose myself. I don't know he's guilty...Yet...And I have to be civil. First-in-command of a mafia, after all. I point to my ears for emphasis as I speak. "Are you the one responsible for the acquisition of these?"

Blood chuckles. "Oh, so you've found out?"

I growl, clenching my fists. "Are you saying that you _are_ responsible, _Blood?_ "

He takes another sip of tea and then smiles at me. "Yes, I am. I thought it would be entertaining to see you walking around with ears and a tail much like his."

Elliot opens his mouth to protest, but I pat him on the chest, maybe a little too hard, too, considering how irritated I am. "So, uh, if you're responsible, could you tell me how exactly I can get rid of these things?"

He takes another sip of his tea. Elliot kind of grabs me by the shoulder, keeping me grounded as I grow more irritated as Blood keeps doing this dramatic pause thing.

"The cure is simply a kiss." Blood says.

I clench my fists tighter, face growing red from anger. "Bullcrap, I already kissed someone and these fuzzy things aren't gone! Tell me what the _real_ cure is!"

Blood clicks his tongue, shaking his head and taking another sip, speaking as he holds the teacup. "You didn't let me finish."

" _Finish_ then." I hiss. Elliot's grips on my shoulders tighten.

"As I was saying." He takes another agonizing sip. I can feel myself vibrating in anger right now. "The cure is a kiss- but the kiss must be from someone without ears of the very same kind. If the kiss comes from someone with the same type of ears, they become permanent- there is no longer a cure, after that."

I pause for a second, taking in the information...So if I kissed Elliot, and he has the same kind of ears...

"You-!" I shriek, lunging towards the desk and reaching out. Elliot picks me up by the waist and I flail in his grips angrily, letting my hair cascade over my face. "You freaking _knew_ this would happen, you _jerk!_ "

I'm stuck with these. Permanently! And oh, Blood knows exactly what he's doing.

"Now, I'd love to chat," Blood says with a smirk. "But I'm afraid that I must get back to work now. And you have work to do as well, Elliot."

Elliot nods. I continue to vibrate angrily and growl in Elliot's grips. He puts me down, but only for a moment- he picks me back up in a princess carry, keeping me from thrashing- I don't want to hurt Elliot.

"Those ears of yours make you look very adorable, even when angry, by the way." Blood says with a laugh, as Elliot picks me up and carries me out of the room.

I pout, wrapping my arms around Elliot's neck as he carries me out.

That guy is _such_ a jerk. A classy jerk, but a jerk.

...But at least the ears are cute.


End file.
